Undisclosed Desires
by princezsupastar
Summary: He was a Saiyan prince, determined to be the strongest being in the universe. She was the daughter of a great inventor, and a genius in her own right. With his pride, her determination and their own fair share of stubbornness, how did they fall in love?
1. Chapter 1

**UNDISCLOSED DESIRES**

_**Author's Note; **This story was once known as 'Hate Me, Love Me'_

_He was a Saiyan prince, determined to be the strongest being in the universe. She was the daughter of a great inventor, and a genius in her own right. With his pride, her determination and their own fair share of stubbornness, how did they fall in love?_

_**Disclaimer; **I do not own Dragonball Z or anything DBZ related. Yes, the story is written during the show's own storyline, but this is based on my own ideas of the development of the Vegeta/Bulma relationship. _

_This fan-fiction also has a few sex scenes, so if this offends you, then please do not read._

_If not, then please enjoy and remember, reviews are very much loved. :)_

CHAPTER ONE

Bulma sighed and put her hands behind her head. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this bored. With Yamcha and the rest of their friends busy training in preparation for the arrival of the androids in two years, she felt quite lonely. It had already been a year since they had met the mysterious youth from the future, who had come to warn them about the impending enemy.

Since that time she had housed a rather unusual guest, who never seemed to care about anything other than training, or food. She was often left wondering why she had coaxed Vegeta into staying at her place to train, he never seemed to be thankful for anything she did for him. She hardly even saw him as it was, and she tried to keep herself busy in the lab and spending time with Yamcha. But lately she hadn't seen him much at all, Yamcha had been training much more, and she had an inkling that it had a lot to do with Vegeta's own intense training.

She stood up from her chair and went looking for her mother, in need of a good gossip session – Bunny was never one to let her down when it came to the latest news of their social circle. Walking into the living room, she was mortified to instead find her long-time boyfriend perched in front of the large television, watching the screen intently, unaware of her presence. She looked at what he was watching, and immediately felt her face grow hot with anger.

She quickly moved in front of the television, putting her hands on her hips and blocking the screen. "You call this _training_?" she inquired, narrowing her blue eyes at him. Startled by her sudden appearance, Yamcha moved back and stood up, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I, uh, I just came in and found it on." he answered, but Bulma had been with him long enough to know when he was covering up for himself with blushes and humour. It didn't work on her anymore – they weren't children.

"You tell me we can't spend time together because you have to train, and instead I find you sitting here watching smutty aerobics?" she accused him, her voice getting louder as her anger grew. Yamcha scratched the back of his head, signalling his guilt – another trait Bulma had picked up on. "I haven't been watching for long, honestly! Do you want to hang out?" he asked her, obviously trying to change the subject.

Bulma let out a cry of frustration before stalking out of the room, followed by a flying blue cat. "Bulma, are you alright?" Puar asked her, looking at her with worried eyes. "I just... need to calm down." Bulma replied, knowing that she needed to control her temper. "Just keep on eye on him, and make sure he doesn't watch anymore tv." Nodding, Puar flew back to the living room, and Bulma stalked down the hall, her eyes on the ground as her thoughts began to run through her head.

Suddenly she found herself colliding with something hard and slightly slimy, and was pushed backwards before she had a chance to exclaim in disgust. She looked up to see stormy dark eyes, and sighed. This was the last thing she needed right now.

"Watch where you're going, woman." Vegeta ordered, crossing his arms in defiance. Bulma pinched her nose in disgust as she stood up and looked at him with glaring eyes. "God Vegeta, you stink." she told him, and he jolted slightly – her comment had caught him off-guard.. He unfolded his arms, and scowled at her. "Stop your pathetic whining. Honestly, have you never smelled sweat before?" Bulma closed her eyes. "Yes, but never this bad before."

Vegeta scoffed in reply. He had better things to do with his time then listen to this infernal Earth woman, and she seemed to have a certain knack for annoying him. "Whatever. I will need a fresh drying cloth and clean garments to wear." he told the blue-haired woman, before walking past her and stalking down the hallway to the bathroom, leaving Bulma to fume.

Letting out another yell of frustration, Bulma crossed her arms before making her way to the laundry. What was it with men these days? All they seemed to do was infuriate her. Especially Vegeta. She had been nothing but nice to the Saiyan prince, letting him stay at her house and helping her father build a gravity chamber and gadgets for him to train. But had she heard anything resembling a thank-you? At least he was attractive... No, she wouldn't think of him that way.

Meanwhile, as he stood under the cool running water in the shower, Vegeta mulled over his thoughts of what had happened recently, and what was to come. He had two more years to train to fight the Androids, two years to become a Super Saiyan, two years to surpass Kakarott. He knew that he had already advanced so much, but it never seemed like enough. His training had to get much tougher, and the gravity would have to increase more significantly. He would demand this to Dr. Briefs later.

"Here. A clean towel and clothes for you. You know Vegeta, a thank you once in a while would be nice." called out a voice, interrupting his thought. Vegeta rolled his eyes. The woman infuriated him on a regular basis it seemed, he had never met anyone quite like her. But there was something about her that he just couldn't explain, something that tugged at his curiosity. Whatever it was, Vegeta didn't like it, and wished for it to go away. He heard her leave, and his mind returned to training once more.

Bulma left the bathroom, and took in a deep breath as she closed the door behind her. She needed to chill out for a while, collect her thoughts and calm down. Her mind seemed to be going crazy, analysing everything, especially her fight with Yamcha. It seemed to be all they ever did these days, and she was getting tired of the same old routine.

She made her way onto the upper floor and walked into her bedroom, surprised to find it occupied. Yamcha sat on her bed, wringing his hands together, a sheepish look on his face. Closing the door behind her softly, Bulma hesitated momentarily before she sat next to him, watching him carefully.

"I'm sorry." he apologised, turning his eyes to Bulma's. "I haven't been spending time with you, like I should." Bulma sighed in reply. She had been with him for so many years now, but lately the relationship had changed. It had been much different in the early days, when they were younger. But even through all the years, it had lacked stability. "What do you want out of this relationship?" she asked him slowly, her face serious. Yamcha blinked at her, obviously surprised. "Well, I don't know. I thought everything was going great!"

Bulma sighed. "Remember when Goku came back from Namek? You told me that it maybe it was time to start thinking about marriage, and a family. That was a year ago, Yamcha. And yet nothing has changed. And at this rate, it never will."

Yamcha's dark eyes trailed down to the floor. "Well, if marriage is what you want..."

Bulma put her hand under his chin and pulled his face so he was looking at her again. It took everything in her to keep her voice steady, she could feel her stomach churning and her eyes beginning to burn. "But it's not what you want. We've been together for so long now, and we've been through so much, but I can tell that we want different things. And maybe it's time that we go our separate ways."

"Has this got anything to do with... your _guest_?"

Bulma sat up straight as if she had been slapped. "What? No!" she exclaimed, feeling the familiar sensation of rage tingling under her skin. How could he suggest such a thing? Vegeta staying with her had no affect on this relationship, and Yamcha should have known that. "Vegeta is not in this relationship, therefore he has nothing to do with it. It's us, Yamcha. We're growing apart."

Yamcha's eyes trailed to the floor, and Bulma put her hand on his back. She did love him, and she knew that no matter what happened she always would, but she knew that the relationship was never going to work in the long-term.

It was at that moment that her bedroom door flew open, nearly falling off it's hinges, to reveal Vegeta, and by the look on his face both Bulma and Yamcha could tell that he was not very happy. But then again, he seldom ever was.

"What is it with you and your perchance for hideous garments?" he yelled at Bulma, indicating to the lime-green pants he was now wearing, matched with a yellow shirt that was equally as bright. Bulma had not been paying attention when she had selected the clothing, her mind too busy on other things. Normally Bulma would have simply laughed at him, but this was not the time. Instead, she stood up from her bed, and walked over to the angry man.

"We were in the middle of a private conversation, Vegeta. I couldn't care less about your clothes, and neither should you." she told him in a seething voice, before slamming the door in his face, leaving Vegeta bewildered in the hallway. Never had anyone done such a thing like that to him before.

Huffing, he made his way back outside to the gravity chamber, but as he pressed the button for the gravity to increase, he just couldn't seem to focus. As he warmed up with quick punches and high kicks into the hair, his mind was not concentrating on training as it should have been. His thoughts were instead with the infuriating blue-haired woman, and how she seemed to just push all of Vegeta's buttons. He had never met anyone remotely like her, and in a small way, admired her stubbornness.

Back in her bedroom, Bulma grabbed Yamcha's rough hand in her own. He turned his body towards hers, and wrapped his strong arms around her small frame, burying his head in her neck. Bulma stroked his black hair, not wanting to let go. She would miss this. Yamcha seemed to be feeling the same way. He moved has face to hers and gave her a soft kiss, which became harder with longing. Bulma moved her hands to his face, holding as the kiss became deeper.

Yamcha's hold on Bulma loosened, but instead of letting go entirely, his hands moved to the small vest she was wearing, pushing it down and off her arms. She broke the kiss off, looking at him intently. "Yamcha..." she protested, but he placed one finger on her lips to silence her. "One last time." he pleaded, and Bulma couldn't help but give in. Her mouth returned to his, this time with new eagerness. After so long together, it seemed like the right way to say goodbye,

Yamcha tugged off his wristbands, and Bulma pulled his shirt up and over his body, revealing his muscular chest. She ran her hands over his chest, and he quickly pulled her dress up and over her head, leaving her clad only in her bra and underwear. She tugged at his orange pants, and he stood up so they would be easier to take off.

Once they had joined the rest of the clothes on the floor, Yamcha laid Bulma down on her bed, moving on top of her. His lips left hers and trailed down to her neck, and then further to her chest, and Bulma reached her hands behind and undid the clasp, taking it off and flinging it across the room. His kisses travelled further once more, stopping just above her panties.

Together, they removed the last items of clothes that were between them at the same time. Bulma laid back and tried to control the tears that were building up in her eyes. She didn't want to end the relationship, but knew it was the right thing to do. But then why did it hurt so bad?

Suddenly she felt Yamcha sheath himself into her, and let out a low moan as he pressed his body against hers, his lips pressing against hers as he began to pump faster, and Bulma could feel the tears beginning to stream down the sides of her face. She gripped his back, holding onto him as hard as she could. He finally climaxed, and she followed only seconds later.

Yamcha rolled off her, panting heavily. Bulma moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around him and placing her head on his chest. As she tried to regulate her own breathing, she closed her eyes, taking in the warmth of his body, the perfume of his sweat.

When she awoke the next morning, she found herself alone in the bed, Yamucha's belongings and clothing missing.

He was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

"Sweetie, are you alright?"

Bulma lifted her head to look at her mother, before returning her eyes to the meal she had been pondering over for the last twenty minutes rather than eating. It had been almost a month since Yamucha had left, and she had missed him. They had never been apart this long without any type of communication. She kept telling herself that the separation had been for the best, but she had never felt so lonely.

"I'll be fine, Mom." Bulma replied, trying to figure out if that was a lie or not. With a frustrated sigh, she pushed her plate away. She wasn't even hungry anyway. Her mother moved behind her and gave her shoulders a gentle rub. "Just stay positive." she instructed Bulma with her cheery voice, who couldn't help but crack a small smile. Bunny was the queen of positive thinking, and couldn't seem to think horribly of anyone, no matter what kind of past they had. She had even taken a shine to Vegeta out of all people, something Bulma had believed to be almost impossible.

It was then that the warrior himself walked into the kitchen, and as she watched him enter, Bulma could tell that he looked quite tired and worn out. Which was never good. Vegeta had a sore attitude and quite a temper on him, but when he was weary it seemed to just escalate to the point where his remarks would almost make her tear out her aqua hair strand by strand.

"I require a meal." he stated gruffly, looking at both the women, and Bulma's jaw almost dropped to the floor. The nerve of him to speak to them in such a manner! Her mother, on the other hand, gave him one of her trademark smiles, showing all of her pristine white teeth. "Coming right up!" she chirped, moving away from Bulma and back into the kitchen, pulling out an array of ingredients and utensils. Bulma simply rolled her eyes at Vegeta. And people thought _she_ was spoiled.

"Oh dear, it seems like we're all out of rice!" her mother cried, raising her hands to her face with despair. "I'll have to ask your father to go to the store." And with that, Bunny hurried from the room, giving her daughter a wink as she left, which luckily Bulma had not noticed, as she and Vegeta were too busy glaring daggers at each other.

"I haven't seen your pathetic boyfriend around lately." Vegeta stated, raising a thick eyebrow at Bulma. "I don't suppose it would have anything to do with me." Bulma's initial surprise of Vegeta trying to strike up a conversation was replaced with an intense rage that began to boil inside. She clenched her fists in an attempt to control her feelings. "Well you did kill him once." she replied in a steady voice, closing her eyes in an effort to calm down.

"Oh yes. That I remember well." Vegeta remarked, a smirk appearing on his lips. "What a weakling."

Before he could say anything else insulting, Bulma flew off her chair, moved towards him and in one swift move, landed the strongest punch she could muster in his face and caught him off-guard. He stumbled backwards slightly before quickly grabbing her wrists, and glaring at her with steel eyes. How dare a woman strike him! He had half a mind to return the favour. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing, woman?"

Bulma lowered her eyes to the floor as they began to brim with tears. "We're no longer together. Therefore he has no reason to be here." she said simply, slowly returning her eyes to meet his, and he was surprised as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. "Happy now?" In a moment of conflicting feelings, Vegeta let her wrists go, and took a step back from her. This wasn't the infuriating, persistent woman who had continually pestered him over the past year. This woman was entirely different.

Normally, Bulma was as stubborn and head-strong as himself, but now she seemed vulnerable, fragile. Vegeta didn't like this side of her. He preferred the fiery and domineering aqua-haired woman who never seemed to back down from anyone. The one that he had to admit he liked to verbally spar against.

Bulma didn't notice that Vegeta was watching her with curiosity, she was too busy trying to control her emotions. She sniffed loudly, and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress angrily. She hated that Vegeta had seen her like this, upset and whiny. She wasn't one to have emotions like this, and she was normally good at keeping them under wrap. She returned her gaze to meet his, narrowing her eyebrows together.

"What are you looking at?" she asked him rudely, and Vegeta couldn't help but smirk a little to himself. It seemed that the woman had returned to her normal self, but still he had seen that lapse of emotion and was unsure of the weird feeling it gave him. He didn't give her a reply to her answer, he instead looked to the doorway in which her mother had exited only moments before.

"When will this food be ready?" he inquired, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "I'm hungry. So start cooking, woman." That pushed Bulma over the edge, and the anger that had been boiling just under her skin burst.

"For the last time, my name is BULMA!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, causing Vegeta's eyes to grow wide. He had really done it now. "I let you stay here, after everything you have put my friends through – including killing quite a few of them. My father has built a training chamber for you, gadgets, programs, everything you have wished for. Even after you blew up the first chamber and almost killed yourself, we re-built it and nursed you back to health. We have clothed you, fed you, and you have not once thanked me or my family for our hospitality."

She took in a deep breath then, happy that she had finally gotten it all of her chest. She had never bargained for Vegeta to be so difficult, not after all that she had done for him. Especially as he seemed intent on killing one of her closest and dearest friends – it seemed to be all he ever talked about, unless it was the impending battle with the androids or training.

Bulma returned to her uneaten meal, now feeling much more hungry than before. She tried to ignore the pestering gaze from Vegeta, who didn't seem to know how to mind his own business, although he often asked others to mind theirs. Hypocrite. Bulma couldn't help but smile into her plate. He certainly was an odd creature, so arrogant and stubborn, and yet there seemed to be another layer underneath all of that muscle, hidden away under lock and key.

Vegeta continued to watch her, trying to figure her out for himself. Such a peculiar species, the human female. They seemed to able to switch from one emotion to the next with a snap of their fingers, and never seemed to be happy with anything. Just thinking about it made his mind sore. He turned up his nose and instead turned his eyes to the window, trying to drive out his thoughts about the aqua-haired woman – but to no avail.

Luckily for them both, Bunny returned to the kitchen, the wide smile on her face never faltering. She did not seem to notice the silence nor the tension between her daughter and Vegeta, nor had she heard their previous heated interaction. She dropped a large bag of rice onto the counter before turning to Vegeta. "I'll have something ready for you soon, I promise." she told him, moving closer to the Saiyan and pinching his cheek. Bulma gasped at the look that crossed Vegeta's face, and instantly feared for her mother's life. But as Bunny returned to the kitchen, Vegeta's face became blank once more as he turned his head and continued to stare out the window. The blonde female had promised to cook for him. Therefore he still needed for her to live. For now.

Bulma finished up her now-cold meal and quickly washed her plate in the sink, no longer wanting to be in the same room as the arrogant prince. She gave Bunny the best smile she could muster and blatantly ignored Vegeta as she left the room, thinking about what to do with the rest of her day. Helping her father in the laboratory was always an option, there were many new projects and gadgets to tweak, but today she wanted to do something different. She found her way outside, pleased with the warmth the sun was giving off. Her eyes were drawn to the large gravity chamber that sat on the lawn.

She remembered helping Dr. Briefs build the first gravity chamber for Goku a few years previous, although it had also been a space-ship. Even though Bulma had left for Namek before the ship had been fully completed, she had gone over her father's blue-prints thoroughly. It had been a success, built for one hundred times gravity. But that had not been enough for Vegeta. This was already the third one he had used, crashing the first and then promptly blowing up the second and almost killing himself in the process. She had stayed by his side while he had recovered, but he never seemed to be aware of the care she had given him. He had been close to doing it again, more time than she wished to recollect.

Bulma walked up the ramp and into the chamber, pinching her nose in disgust as she did so. How it stunk! She had never smelt anything so bad and so very strong, it was overpowering her nostrils. She moved over to the controls and began to fiddle with the computer, trying to find the self cleaning program she had installed into it when the chamber had first been built, with Vegeta in mind. She knew that he didn't seem to care much for cleanliness and hygiene.

Suddenly, the chamber began to glow red and the door promptly closed itself up. Bulma began to panic as she ran towards the door, banging on it with her fists.

She was trapped.

She ran back to the computer, but did not make it. The room began to heat up and she felt her body grow heavy. It became harder to breathe, and her knees gave out and forced her onto the floor. Bulma realised with horror that she had not managed to run the chamber cleaning program, but instead the gravity intensity. She tried to take in deep breaths, but her chest felt as if it was going to cave in.

Bulma had never felt anything like this. She felt helpless, unable to even try and lift herself from the floor. Any movement she tried was hopeless. She tried to yell out for help, but no sound would come out of her mouth. Her body was now her enemy, keeping her pinned down. The only thing she could think off to help was to take off the clothing that was weighing her down even more. She struggled to remove the orange vest before slowly managing to rip off her red dress, leaving her in nothing but a black bra and matching panties. She closed her eyes. At least she was thankful that she had not been wearing shoes.

The door exploded open, but Bulma's eyes remained shut, unable to open. She felt strong hands move under her body, almost hesitantly, and lift her up off the floor. Moments later the air was no longer thick, but had returned to normal, and her breathing began to regulate. She managed to finally open her eyes, land looked up to find out the identity of her saviour, her gaze meeting the face of someone she would never have suspected.

Vegeta looked down at her, his brows furrowed together in fury, a red tinge on his bronzed cheeks. But as Bulma continued to watch him, she saw a slight hint of worry in his dark eyes. He laid her down on the grass, and quickly moved his hands back to his sides as he stood up. Before she could express her gratitude, he walked away, leaving her to recover alone with her thoughts.

Bulma stayed on the ground for a few minutes, trying to regain the strength in her body. When she felt able, she sat up slowly, her eyes closed. Everything hurt. It felt as if she had just run ten marathons in a row. She then attempted to stand up, but her legs were too wobbly, and she fell back onto the grass again.

She heard footsteps approaching her, and turned to see Vegeta once more. "You stupid, idiotic woman." he exclaimed in an acid tone, looking down at her. Bulma cringed. She really didn't want to hear this right now, but Vegeta continued. "Only you could do something so foolish and moronic."

Determined with anger, Bulma made her way onto her feet, struggling to stay upright. Her piercing blue eyes met his in an icy glare. "What did you intend to prove by entering the gravity chamber?" Vegeta asked her, crossing his arms. "Did you wish to die?" "Of course not!" Bulma exclaimed, losing her balance momentarily. She threw out her arms to steady herself before continuing. "I don't know if you've noticed, but it reeks in there. I was only trying to clean the place up."

Vegeta lowered his arms, his steely gaze still fixed on her face. "Someone will need to fix the door. And I suggest to put some garments on." he told her, before turning to the main house. Bulma clasped her arms over her almost naked body, her cheeks flushing pink as she remembered that her clothes were back in the gravity chamber. She watched Vegeta as he walked away, feeling a mix of emotions as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.

Vegeta had just saved her life.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

It had been a progressing day for Bulma, she had spent the majority of it developing a new training program with her father for Vegeta. It had taken them quite a few hours to do, but the outcome had been successful. She had left her father to do some tweaks on it, and gone to find her mother, who was busy in the living room reading home magazines.

"Oh Bulma, there you are!" Bunny exclaimed as her daughter entered the room, a wide smile crossing her already cheerful face. "Hi Mom." Bulma replied, returning the smile as she sunk down on the couch beside her. "I feel as if I hardly see you anymore!" her mother continued, closing the magazine she had been reading and turning to her daughter. "I've been keeping busy, helping Dad, working on some new gadgets." Bulma explained, resting her head on the back of the couch.

"Well, I guess it's for the best, keeping occupied." her mother observed, and Bulma winced as she knew where this conversation was going. "It's been good. I enjoy working with Dad, even after all these years I still find myself learning a thing or two from him." she said, trying to keep on the subject. The last thing she wanted right now was for her mother to bring up the hurtful subject of Yamcha.

She had spoken to him only a few days earlier, the first time they had been in contact since ending the relationship. He seemed to be going well, he had recently moved into a new apartment, and she could tell that he was enjoying his new freedom. She only wished she could have felt the same. But working with her father had been a great distraction, and a good reliever of her constant boredom. And even if she didn't want to admit, having Vegeta around was also good fun, she loved having a battle of words with the Saiyan prince every now and then.

Thankfully, her mother seemed to sense Bulma's reluctance to indulge further in the conversation, and turned back to her magazines. Bulma stood up and wandered to the lower floor and then outside, making her way over to the gravity chamber, shivering slightly. She still hadn't forgotten the incident from a few days earlier. She wasn't sure what had been worse – almost dying, being yelled at by Vegeta or having him see her in nothing but her undergarments. The brief few times she had seen him since, he seemed to not be able to meet her eyes, and his cheeks would always go a flush of pink.

As Bulma approached the large round chamber, her thoughts began to swim. She found constantly wondering what the Saiyan warrior was up to in there, and had found herself in the habit of regularly peeking in and watching him – not that he knew.

She grabbed a nearby crate and stood up on it, trying her hardest to keep her balance. She peeked in, but couldn't see him. Was he not in there? No, the gravity was most definitely on, the room had the familiar red light. Looking around frantically, she finally she caught sight of Vegeta, who was in a handstand and doing something that resembled push-ups.

Bulma had to admire his strength and stamina. The Saiyans were certainly an amazing race, and seemed to be almost invincible. Growing up with Goku, she had always wondered about his incredible strength and fighting ability, there had always been something non-human about him. And then only a few years ago, they had all learned of his true origins, she had come to find out about just how powerful they really were. She had always thought of Yamcha to be so strong, but these days, watching the prince train mercifully, it seemed her ex had nothing on Vegeta.

Climbing down of the crate carefully, Bulma made her way back to her bedroom, sighing at the colossal mess that greeted her. She had always been a messy and unorganised woman, and especially of late she just hadn't felt bothered or motivated enough to do any cleaning up. Sighing, she knelt down and picked up the many papers that law strewn on the floor, piling them up on her desk. If there was any time to tidy up her room, it might as well be now.

Once her floor could finally be seen again, she moved her clean clothes into her wardrobe, stopping to look in the mirror first and analyse her current outfit and style. She had worn her hair in a large afro for a while now, whilst wearing one of her favourite long-sleeved dresses and a vest to match. But it was time for something new, she felt.

Bulma looked through her drawers in her dresser and found a short white skirt, which fit her snugly, showing off the curves of her hips and bottom nicely. Hard as she tried, she couldn't remember ever wearing it, and scolded herself for not pulling it out earlier. Bulma also found a purple and yellow fitted shirt that she had not seen nor worn for quite some time, and slipped it over her head. She admired her new outfit in the mirror, before turning her concentration to her hair.

An hour later, after much resistance and product, her aqua-hair was closer to being straight, but still held some waves that refused to budge. Bulma's bangs had grown longer, and she swept them to the right side of her face, tucking in the ends behind her ear, and had to admit it was a nice look for her. She stood in front of the mirror for a few more minutes, going over every detail before giving herself the seal of approval.

She went to find her mother, who also complimented her daughter's new look with a wide smile. "Oh honey, you look fantastic! It's such a good look for you! Your hair certainly looks very different." she commented with affection before giving Bulma a playful nudge in the arm. "This change couldn't have anything to do with a certain prince, could it?"

"Mom!" Bulma exclaimed, her face full of disgust. How could her mother think such a thing? Vegeta was the last man she could ever consider falling for, let alone dressing up for. Even is she died her hair bright orange and wore a plastic garbage bag, he would be too indulged in his training and himself to even notice. Bunny simply chuckled to herself and left the room, singing a love-tune shrilly.

Returning to her room, Bulma took note of the pile of papers on her desk that she had collected earlier, and sat down to go through them. Some of them were letters, others ideas and instructions for technology she had been discussing with her father. These were sure to keep her pre-occupied, and free her from any distractions. Flipping through the numerous pages, one caught her eye, it was for a new model of car that not only was faster and safer, but more efficient.

_BOOM!_

Bulma sat up straight in her chair. She had heard a similar explosion coming from the lawn before – this wasn't good. She stood up from her chair and flew down the stairs, running as fast as her legs would take her outside.

The sight that met Bulma's eyes confirmed her fears. Once again, Vegeta had managed to go and blow up the chamber, it had been reduced to a pile of rubble. As she scanned over the area, she realised with horror that she couldn't see any sign of the warrior. Footsteps approached rapidly behind her, and her parents appeared, Bunny letting out a wail of horror, and Dr. Briefs groaning in frustration. "Where is he?" Bulma cried out, moving into the rubble, picking up bits here and there, attempting to find Vegeta.

Her parents also joined the search, turning over pieces of debris, but it seemed Bulma was having no luck at all, there was no sign of the mighty Saiyan prince anywhere. Bulma began to get frantic, flinging scraps of metal in every direction. The last time this had happened, Vegeta had managed to pull himself out before collapsing, but it seemed like this time, he hadn't been so lucky. She was about to lose all hope before her father yelled out.

"I think I've found him!" Bulma and Bunny quickly ran over to Dr. Briefs, who was pulling sheets of metal off a bronzed body, which wasn't moving. Bulma knelt down and cleared away the debris from Vegeta's head, desperately searching for a sign of life in the warrior's face. "Oh my goodness! Is he alive?" Bunny asked, clutching her chest in fear. Dr. Briefs moved back as Bulma moved even closer to Vegeta, touching him softly as she moved her head to his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief as she heard his heart give a faint beat.

"He's alive, but only just." she told her father, who promptly pulled out his capsule box from his pocket. Rummaging through the numerous capsules, he found the one he wanted and clicked it before throwing it away from him. It turned into a hovering-stretcher, which he and Bunny both helped Bulma lift the unconscious Vegeta onto. Bulma cringed as she looked over his body – it wasn't good. There were many new wounds and bruises forming on his skin, and blood everywhere.

Once they had made it into the medical room, they managed to get Vegeta onto the bed carefully, and most of his wounds had thankfully stopped bleeding. Bulma then retrieved a wash cloth and warm water, her parents taking their leave from the room, her father off to get some equipment, her mother to possibly call up some of her friends and relay the news.

Taking a seat on the side of the bed, Bulma dipped the cloth in the bowl of water and drained it before gently wiping the blood away from his face, moving onto his chest next. The water in the bowl quickly turned a sinister shade of red, and Bulma wondered just how much blood the warrior had lost.. After cleaning one arm, she leaned over his body, trying carefully to keep her chest off his in an attempt to wash the other when suddenly Vegeta's dark eyes flew open, and immediately fixed their gaze on Bulma's startled ones. He attempted to talk, but she clasped her hand over his mouth.

"Don't talk Vegeta, you haven't got enough strength. You blew up the chamber. Again." she informed him in a steady voice, looking at him with worry. He was in pretty bad shape, and it looked like he was struggling just to keep his eyes open, but she was glad that was at least alright. "Don't touch me-" he grunted feebly, before passing out once more. Bulma glared at him momentarily, but her feelings of anger towards the Saiyan were replaced with sympathy as she continued to clean him up.

Bulma finished Vegeta's other arm and began to wipe down his legs, and couldn't help but blush as she reached up near his inner thighs. His pants, the only clothes he had taken to wearing whilst training, were quite torn and ripped, and there was only a small bit of the material left, which thankfully covered his groin. Once she was done, Bulma moved back off the bed, stood back and looked down at him. Her mother had admitted to finding Vegeta quite handsome on a regular basis, and reluctantly, Bulma now agreed with her.

A short while later, Vegeta awoke once more, this time more aware of his surroundings. He opened his eyes groggily, before wincing in pain. It was then that he noticed the many bandages wrapped around various parts of his body, as well as the bruises that accompanied them. It had been quite a stupid accident really, the training program had pushed him much further than it should have, and out of rage and a conflicted mind he let out a blast, one that was much to powerful for the chamber to contain. He should have known better, after all it had only been a year or so since he had done something similar.

He looked to the table beside him, but realised he was alone. It had been her fault anyway. He had been too busy thinking about the woman, and not concentrating enough on his training. Vegeta was furious at her, why should he be unfortunate enough to not be able to control his thoughts of the aqua-haired human? It was pitiful really, and he was disgusted at himself for having any thoughts of her at all. Since he had saved her from being crushed to death by gravity, all he could think about was the woman in her black undergarments...

Vegeta's moved his eyes to the ceiling, trying to concentrate on the light above him, when the door opened, revealing the person he least hoped to see – and at the same time, the person he most wanted to see. He also noticed that she had changed dramatically since the last time he had seen her, her hair was straight again, and she was wearing new clothes. With a slight blush on his cheeks, Vegeta was just glad that she was at least fully clothed.

Bulma realised with shock that Vegeta was awake again, and seemed to be watching her intently as she entered the room. "I'm just here to give you your medicine." she announced coolly, not wanting to get into an argument with the wounded man again. He gave her no reply, but his eyes stayed on Bulma as she sat down on the bed beside him, placing a cool hand on his forehead. The skin there was very warm, but she knew this to be common of Saiyans. She then poured a small dosage of purple liquid into a cup, and motioned for him to open his mouth.

To her surprise, he obliged. It was then that she figured he was simply too tired to fight her. Bulma moved one hand to the back of his head, her fingers tangling in his thick black hair as she lifted it up off the pillow and poured the medicine into his mouth with the other. As he swallowed, he choked slightly, but she kept his head tilted up until it was all gone. She lowered him back onto the soft pillow, and after keeping it there momentarily, removed her hand from his hair.

Getting back to her feet, she dropped the small white cup into the bin beside the bed and picked up the medicine bottle. She moved towards the door but paused, turning around slowly to take one last look at her patient. "Get well, Vegeta." she told him, before making her way outside, closing the door behind her and leaving Vegeta by himself again.

As he returned his eyes to the ceiling, he mulled over his thoughts.

With horror, he realised that he wanted her to come back.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

"What exactly do you think you are doing?"

Vegeta groaned. Trust Bulma to bust him as he tried to escape the blasted infirmary and get back to his training. After a week of nothing but rest, medicine and routine bandage-changing, he was eager to return to the gravity chamber, but he had forgotten that there was no longer a chamber to go to, as he had managed to completely destroy it and almost himself. But Bulma had walked into his room at the same moment and caught him out, with a disapproving tone and stern look on her beautiful face.

"I need to return to my training. I cannot waste any more time lying here doing absolutely nothing. I'm a warrior!" he replied, giving her his best trademark scowl, his dark eyes narrowing at her. "But you need to recover. At this rate, you're going to end up killing yourself." Bulma scolded him, shutting the door behind her before moving towards him. He was certainly showing improvement, his wounds had healed up much faster than expected, but Bulma hadn't been surprised – after all, he wasn't human, something she had to regularly remind herself of.

"What do you thing you're doing?" Vegeta asked, backing away from Bulma as she approached him,hands outstretched. "Someone has to change your bandages." she retorted huffily, not looking too thrilled about her self-appointed duty. But someone had to do it, Bunny was out shopping with her friends and Dr. Briefs was busy making another gravity chamber at Vegeta's request.

To her amazement, Vegeta sat down on the bed, compliant as Bulma leaned over and went about removing the bandages from his head first, before moving to his chest and arms, unaware that his eyes were fixed on the shirt she was wearing that clinged to the shape of her chest. She gasped at the amount of new scars that had formed on his skin, and absent-mindedly ran her fingers along one on his chest, disrupting Vegeta's gaze.

He sat perfectly still as Bulma traced the scar, one of his oldest. He was interested in her curiosity, and watched her before she pulled her hand away, and they were both amazed that Vegeta had not attacked the aqua-haired woman, since he despised being touched at all. "Well, you seem to be healing quite fast, so that's a good sign." Bulma told him, placing the old bandages in the bin and hoping that her cheeks were not too flushed. By the time she turned around, she noticed that Vegeta was making his way to the door.

"And just where do you think you're going?" she asked loudly, moving quickly to the closed door and placing herself in front of it. "I must return to my training." Vegeta grunted back, stopping in front of her, and Bulma could see that he was slowly getting angrier by the second. "Now move, woman." Bulma shook her head. "No."

Vegeta groaned with a mix of annoyance and frustration. This woman was infuriating to say the least, and as certainly stubborn as himself, but that did not mean that she could act in such a way, and defy his demands. Ordering her to move didn't seem to be working, so Vegeta, the ever tactful warrior, changed his tone. "Do you want to die?" he asked her, his voice serious and low, catching Bulma off guard, just what he had wanted. "Of course not." "Then leave me alone!"

Bulma gasped, feeling quite offended. But she wasn't going to give in that easy. Prince of the Saiyans he may be, but that didn't mean that she had to grovel at his feet. He was in her castle, where she was the princess. "You can't get rid of me that easily." she informed him, not moving from the door. "If only." Vegeta grunted under his breath, unsure if she had heard him. "I could blast you out of the way." Vegeta threatened with a snarl, raising one clenched fist her way. Bulma gasped. "You will do no such thing!" she replied, crossing her arms defiantly.

"I must destroy the androids, and to do that I must train." Vegeta growled through clenched teeth. Why couldn't she understand this? Did she want to die? "If you continue to train like this, you won't be alive to face them. Besides, in case you have forgotten, you destroyed the gravity chamber." Bulma explained, worry in her eyes. He was a warrior, she was very aware this. But even warriors needed to take time off to recover and regain strength, there was nothing wrong with that.

Vegeta lost his stance momentarily as this news hit him, but he shook it off. He could train elsewhere until a new chamber had been created, that was no problem. He was desperate to leave this room, and actually do something, anything.

He moved towards her, his face stubborn and his eyes glaring. "Get out of my way." he warned again, his voice rough and hard. "No." Bulma repeated, placing her hands on the door behind her in defiance. Vegeta really seemed to hate that word, but that still didn't mean that she would give in to him. He was just throwing an adult-tantrum, and would have to learn that yes was not the answer for everything. "If you want to get out of this room, you'll have to go through me first."

"That can be arranged."

Bulma suddenly noticed that whilst they had been arguing, Vegeta's bronzed face had become quite close to her own, and she could even feel his hot breath on her face, causing an odd sensation to serge through her body. "You are the most impossible man I have ever met." she replied, her voice low, her blue eyes staring into his dark ones. Vegeta let out a low snarl in return, but nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.

Vegeta seemed to snap, and with no words, grabbed the back of Bulma's head with both hands, pulled her forward until her lips met his own, and pushed her against the door in one fluid movement. It took Bulma a second to realise what was happening, but before she could analyse the situation, she felt herself leaning into Vegeta, placing her hands on his chest as she did, feeling his heart pounding wildly.

Suddenly Vegeta pulled away, dropping his hands back to his sides, his voice ragged. Bulma kept her back pressed up against the wall, trying to control her own breathing as she did so. Had that really happened? Had Vegeta really kissed her? He didn't seem to believe his own actions himself. She waited for him to say something, and expected him to try and leave the room again. She could tell that he was confused about what had just happened, and it was very out of character for him. Was it just a way of trying to get her to move from the door?

Vegeta couldn't believe it. He had let his mind slip from control for a split second, let the strange feelings in his body take over and found himself kissing Bulma. It just wasn't normal, he had never done anything like it before, he had never been intimate with a woman, nor ever wanted to be. But as he tried to comprehend his actions, he realised that he had enjoyed it, and wanted to do it again.

Bulma's eyes never left Vegeta, even though he had not dared to look at her. She wasn't sure if she should leave the room, or say anything. She would let him make the first move. But secretly she wanted him to do it again, to kiss her passionately again. Her body seemed to be craving it again, craving to be against his. These weird feelings Bulma had been experiencing, it was clear now that they had been attraction for the Saiyan warrior, and were stronger than ever.

Vegeta couldn't fight it any longer, and amazingly, didn't want to. He raised his eyes to look at her, and that was all it took. He moved towards her once more, this time placing his hands on the small of her back as he leaned into her, his lips meeting her own once more. He felt as she moved her hands to the back of his head, before they became entangled with his thick black hair.

Bulma's body seemed to rejoice as Vegeta kissed her harder, and his hands slowly made their way underneath her shirt and upwards. It was then that she realised that he wanted more. She broke the kiss and pulled her face away from his slightly, and she could read on his face that he was confused. "Do you want me to take it off?" she breathed, indicating to her shirt.

Vegeta paused for a moment. Kissing Bulma was certainly nice, but he could tell that his body was craving for more. His self control was slipping, and he realised just where this was going. He fought with himself, but knew there was no point. He gave Bulma a curt nod, and she removed her hands from his hair slowly before tugging at the bottom of her shirt and pulling it up and over her head, revealing a red lacy bra that made Vegeta's body go wild. His lips returned to hers, his hands roaming up and down her back.

There was an intense hunger that was burning in Bulma that she couldn't explain, and nor did she want to. Everything just seemed to feel right, and the only thing she wanted right now was Vegeta. She felt his lips part, and explored his mouth fervently. She felt his hands leave her back, and make their way to tug down the sides of the skirt she was wearing. She was thankful she had decided not to wear pants or her usual dress that day, as it made it all a whole lot easier.

As her skirt fell to the floor, revealing a matching pair of red underwear, Vegeta's lips moved away from Bulma's and made their way to her neck. He wasn't really sure of what he was supposed to do, but it felt right. His hands moved to the back of her bra, he was determined to get her naked as soon as possible. He wanted her, right there and then.

It took Vegeta a few moments before the clasp of Bulma's bra was finally undone, and he moved the straps down her arms and let the flimsy garment fall to the floor with the rest of her clothes. Bulma moaned as Vegeta's hands moved to her naked chest, his mouth still at her neck. She held his face and moved it back to hers, her lips needing to be against his. She was surprised at his enthusiasm, and his eagerness to get her naked, but knew that he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him.

Understanding what he wanted, Bulma reached down and skilfully pulled down her underpants with one fluid movement, leaving her now totally naked and somewhat vulnerable. The only thing that remained between them was Vegeta's pants, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was not an underwear man. But she was uncertain as to whether she should remove them, or let Vegeta do it himself, so she left them on. He would take them off in his own time.

Vegeta sensed her hesitation, but was unsure as to the reason. Did she not want him like he wanted her? Was she regretting this? By the way she was kissing him back, it was unlikely. It was then that he noticed just what was the problem – his pants. He quickly ripped them off his body, not bothering to keep them in one piece.

Bulma gasped as she saw just how eager Vegeta was, and broke away from the kiss, looking deep into his eyes, trying to read this thoughts. But before she had time to question his motives, Vegeta grabbed her bottom, lifting her up and onto him as she wrapped her legs around his torso, moaning into her neck as he did so.

Pressing her against the door once more, he began to thrust, Bulma wrapping her arms around his neck tightly, moving her mouth to his they began to move together in perfect rhythm, getting faster and faster. Finally, with one loud moan, Vegeta came, bringing both himself and Bulma to a powerful climax.

He broke apart from Bulma, dropping her back gently to the floor and moving away, his face full of mixed emotions. Bulma stood still, trying to regulate her breathing as she watched Vegeta, not sure of what to do next. He looked at her, and she could see that he was trying to understand just what had happened. She took a step towards him slowly. "Are you... alright?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"I... I think so." Vegeta rasped in reply, still trying to get his head together. But it was difficult, seeing Bulma standing naked before him, a familiar feeling washing over his body once more. This wasn't normal. He knew he needed to go back to his training, but just couldn't seem to focus on anything else other than Bulma at that moment.

She moved closer again, this time touching his arm carefully, trying not to startle him. "Do you want me to go?"

Vegeta stood still for a moment, and Bulma took his hesitation as his answer. She went to turn around and gather up her clothes, but was stopped as Vegeta grabbed her arm and pulled her body against his again.

"No."

_So yeah, I know that it's only the fourth chapter of this story and they'll already 'going at it', but they've been living together for a year already and so I just figured that during that time that the feelings would have developed._


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

_And now it's time for everyone's favourite goof-ball and human vacuum cleaner, Goku! I just thought it might be nice to have something a little bit different. Enjoy!_

"Hy-ahh!"

Goku raised his arms above his face, blocking the kick that came his way. The leg came into contact with his arms, and while it did no harm, the force of it pushed him through the air backwards for a few metres. Slowly, Goku lowered his arms and broke into a wide smile. "Gohan, that was great! You're certainly getting a lot stronger!"

Gohan flew over to his father, his cheeks flushing pink as he scratched the back of his head. "You really think so?" he asked uncertainly, taking a glance at the large green-skinned being that remained on the ground below them. "Your power has increased significantly in the past year." Piccolo stated as father and son touched down on the ground.

A loud rumble interrupted the conversation, and Goku looked down at his stomach, patting it gently. "I think it's time we go and get something to eat." he announced, looking to his son and giving him a wink. Gohan nodded. While his appetite was nowhere as great as his father's, he was definitely hungry.

Once they had arrived back home, Goku entered the kitchen in search of his wife. "Chi-Chi?" he called out, but she was nowhere to be seen. Goku crossed his arms and stood in thought. It was lunch-time, where on Earth was she? The stove-top was covered with saucepans, and there were dishes covering the counters, but Chi-Chi wouldn't just leave the food unattended.

A bad feeling seeped into his stomach. Had she been kidnapped? Taken from their house, while Goku and Gohan trained not too far away? There was only one way to find out. Instant Transmission. Two fingers went to his forehead, and without words he disappeared, not seeing Gohan raise a hand in protest.

Goku found himself in... his bathroom? Lowering his hand, he blinked in confusion. What was going on? A scream interrupted his thoughts, and he turned around to see Chi-Chi. He gave a breath of relief, before realising that his wife was sitting on the toilet, her dress around her waist, her pants around her ankles, her cheeks red, her face more furious than Goku could ever have recalled seeing it. "GOKU!" she yelled, covering her bare knees with her arms.

"Chi-Chi, I'm sorry, I just...I couldn't find you, I got worried..." Goku stammered, his own cheeks blushing crimson as he held up in his hands in defense. "GET OUT!" Chi-Chi demanded, and Goku could only nod in response, opting this time to exit through the door, closing it tightly behind him.

He made his way back into the kitchen, and found his son sitting at the table, his cheeks pink and his face disapproving. "I tried to warn you." he told his father, as Goku sat down opposite him. "I've got to be more careful when I use that technique, I'd hate for something like that to happen again."

Their conversation was interrupted when Chi-Chi entered the room, giving Goku a dark glare as she made her way over to the stove. "Chi-Chi, I'm really sorry." he apologised to his wife, hoping that she would forgive him. It had only been a simple mistake, after all. "I don't know. I'm considering not giving you any of this food I've been preparing all day." Chi-Chi replied, her back still turned from Goku, who stood up.

"Oh no, please Chi-Chi, I'm so hungry!" he cried out in protest, clutching his stomach and sticking out his bottom lip in protest. Chi-Chi turned around, and Goku was surprised to see a smirk across her face that turned into a grin. "You idiot Goku, I know how much you love your food. Just promise me that you will at least think before you do something like that again, okay?"

+-+

Sitting back in his chair, Goku placed his hands on his now full belly. "That was wonderful, Chi-Chi." he praised his wife, who rolled her eyes before beginning to clear the table of the empty plates and bowls. Even after many years of marriage, it still amazed her how much Goku seemed to eat. And despite the large quantity he had just had for his lunch, she knew that in a few hours he would be eating almost double as much food for his dinner.

Gohan stood up from his chair and looked to his father. "Should we return to our training?" he asked, turning Chi-Chi to turn around with a fearsome look on her face. "Oh no, you've got some serious studying to do before you go anywhere." she told her son, who looked over to his father for some help. Goku chuckled. "Sorry Gohan, I don't think I can help you with this one." he replied, glancing at his wife before getting up off his chair. "Besides, I have some errands to run."

Chi-Chi's angry face dissolved into a curious one. "Where are you off to now?" she asked, clutching her scrubbing brush that she had been using to clean the dishes. "I have to go and check on a few people, see how they're doing." Two people in particular. He'd promised Trunks that he wouldn't say anything to sabotage his birth, but he was curious to see how the two to-be lovebirds were getting along.

Goku raised two fingers to his forehead, and turned to his wife. "I'll be home for dinner, I promise." he told Chi-Chi, who turned back around to the sink. Goku winced. She wasn't happy with him, but then again, she had a lot going on at the moment, and he couldn't blame her. He turned his dark eyes to Gohan instead, who looked up at his father with an expectant face. Goku ruffled his son's dark hair with his free hand. "Sorry mate, not this time." And suddenly, he was gone.

+-+

He appeared only seconds later on the lawn of Capsule Corporation, looking around for a familiar face. He saw the large Gravity Chamber a few metres away from him, and Goku knew that Vegeta was most certainly in there, training hard. He would go and see the Saiyan Prince later, but right now he wanted to see his oldest and closest friend.

Goku walked into the large yellow building, first heading to Bulma's lab, knowing that if she was to be anywhere, she would be there. He was not disappointed. Poking his head through the lab door, a grin broke onto his face as he caught sight of an aqua-haired woman leaning over her desk. "Hiya Bulma!" he exclaimed, shocking Bulma and causing her to jump in her seat. She turned around warily. "Honestly Goku, you should know better than to sneak up on people!" she accused him, before a warm smile appeared on her face.

She got out of her chair, moving closer to her younger friend and giving him a warm hug, which he returned, wrapping his strong arms around her small body. Bulma let go, moving back and taking a good look at Goku. "How are you? It's been a while." she added, tilting her head to the side. Goku laughed. "I've been so busy with training, I lose track of time." he admitted, and Bulma joined in with his laughter. "That sounds like you."

Bulma began to make her way out of the lab, indicating for Goku to follow. They made their way to the kitchen, where Bulma moved to the coffee machine and turned it on. "Would you like one?" she offered Goku, but he shook his head in response. He had only tried coffee once, and instantly disliked it. He had no idea how people could drink it. He sat down behind the counter as Bulma leaned against the wall.

"So, what's new with you?" Goku asked lightly, trying to get some information about Vegeta from Bulma. She sighed. "Not much, I've been busy with some new inventions of Dad's that he's been asking me to help him with, and I've been going to a couple of meetings with the board members – all boring stuff." Goku bit his lip. She wasn't giving him what he wanted. "Hows...Vegeta?" he inquired carefully, watching her face intently.

He was surprised as her cheeks began to glow pink, her brows furrowing together. "I haven't seen him for a few days, but as far as I know, he's hardly left that gravity chamber since we rebuilt it." This caught Goku's interest. "Rebuilt it?" he repeated, and Bulma let out a cry of frustration, startling him. "He managed to destroy the last three in just one year!"

Goku tilted his head to the side. "That sounds like Vegeta." he agreed, knowing that The Saiyan Prince would go all out in his training. He wasn't going to stop until he had succeeded in ascending to a Super Saiyan, and Kami-knew how long that would take him to achieve such a feat. "So you haven't seen him?" he probed Bulma further, trying to satisfy his curiosity.

Bulma crossed her arms and scowled, but Goku could still see the red hue that tinted her cheeks. "Honestly, he's got to be the only person that can manage to avoid someone they share residence with." She was interrupted as the coffee machine let off a loud ring, letting her know that her coffee was ready. She placed her favourite pink mug under the nozzle as the steaming brown liquid poured into it, the aroma making Goku scrunch up his nose.

She poured some milk and a teaspoon of sugar into her mug, before taking a careful sip. Little did she know, Goku was determined to find out just how far things had gotten between her and Vegeta. It was too early for Trunks to be conceived, but surely they had to be on their way to falling in love. "Did something happen? For Vegeta to be avoiding you."

He'd hit the nail on the head with his question, Bulma's cheeks flushed crimson, and he could tell that she had frozen momentarily. So there was something going on, and Trunks was in no danger of having his existence in jeopardy. Bulma turned her blue eyes onto her oldest friend, and Goku could see that she was trying to figure out what to tell him in her mind. "Oh well. I'm going to go and see if he'll spar with me. It was nice seeing you! And...take care of yourself, for me, okay?" he exclaimed brightly, giving a bewildered Bulma one more hug before quickly making his way out of the room.

Goku's mind was swimming more than usual as he walked up to the gravity chamber, noting the familiar red glow that emitted from the windows. He could sense Vegeta's ki, he was very deeply concentrated on his chamber, and Goku could tell that his power level had increased significantly since Goku had returned home from Namek. He was continually impressed by the Saiyan Prince's stamina, and just how hard he pushed himself.

He gave a sharp knock on the door of the chamber, and Vegeta's ki spiked up instantly, surprising Goku. Was Vegeta _panicking_? "Vegeta? Are you in there?" Goku called out, and Vegeta's energy quickly lowered down to normal. The door opened, revealing a very tired and bruised warrior. "What do you want, Kakkarot?" Vegeta demanded to know, crossing his arms in a fashion similar to Bulma earlier. Goku tried to suppress a chuckle.

"I just wanted to see how your training was going, and wondered if maybe you'd like to spar with me?" Goku asked, and Vegeta lowered his head, his eyes closed. "I have better things to do with my time, so if you'd leave-" "Aw, come on Vegeta! Bulma says you've been training non-stop for the last few days." Vegeta's head snapped up, his eyes watching Goku carefully.

"What has that infernal woman been saying about me?" Vegeta inquired, and Goku couldn't help but smile. The signs were there alright, Vegeta had already become attached to Bulma, he cared about her opinion, proven by his outburst. Goku tried to play it cool, his smile dimming down slightly. "Just that she hasn't seen you in a while. If you ask me, it seems like she misses you."

Then something happened that Goku could never have imagined. The Saiyan Prince turned his dark eyes away from Goku;s, and a hint of red flushed in his cheeks. Vegeta was embarrassed. Goku tried to control the laugh that burned in the back of his throat, and managed to somehow keep a straight face. "Well if you're not willing to spar, I'd better go. Chi-Chi would kill me if I came home late." He lifted two fingers to his forehead once more, Vegeta watching him with a scowl. "Take care now, and don't be too rough with her, okay?" Giving Vegeta a wink, Goku disappeared into thin air.

"You'd better not have been causing trouble, Goku."

Goku removed his fingers from his forehead and turned his eyes to Piccolo, who was watching him warily. "I was just visiting friends." he replied innocently, but Piccolo scoffed in reply. "You need to figure out just where the boundaries are Goku, and then be careful not to cross them."

Goku sighed in protest, like a student being lectured by a teacher. "I wasn't going to say or do anything that would jeopardise Trunks being born, but I wanted to know how things were going between Vegeta and Bulma, and if they weren't going so well, then-" "Then you planned to help them along?" Goku blushed and looked down at the ground, scratching the back of his head. Piccolo had seen right through him. "Goku, surely you have enough sense to let things proceed naturally. Trunks told you that they would find their way to each other, without your help. And I'm pretty sure we can trust him on that."

Piccolo was right. Piccolo was always right. Maybe it had something to do with being the evil incarnation of the Earth's Guardian, Goku didn't know. "You're right." Goku admitted, his shoulders slumping down. He's been so mixed up in his own curiosity, he hadn't even begun to imagine what would have happened if he'd gone too far. He looked up at his green companion, who had closed his eyes in meditation again.

"I just hope that Trunks gets here okay."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

"Ah!"

Oil squirted from the machine onto Bulma, covering her white lab-coat and turning it black instantly. It had also managed to get onto her face and hair, which she attempted to wipe away with the back of her hand. She heard laughter, and turned around to see Dr. Briefs doubled over, chuckling loudly. He promptly stopped as he saw the look on his daughter's face. "Well, that's no good." he observed, moving to the machine on the table, placing his hand under his chin in thought.

"No good? I'll say." Bulma retorted, glaring down the contraption. Now she would have to take another shower to get the oil off her hair. Her father prodded the machine then, and it gave a familiar ring. Bulma quickly moved out of the way as oil began to shoot out once more, this time covering her father from head to toe with the thick black liquid. Served him right.

She couldn't help but giggle at the irony, Dr. Briefs standing still as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Bulma gave him a pat on the back. "Come on Dad, lets go and get cleaned up, and then we'll sort this out. I'm too distracted by being covered with oil." she told him, making her way out of the lab and up to the bathroom, careful not to make too much of a mess on the floor. She was thankful that her parents had their own bathroom, otherwise she would have had to wait for her father to clean up before she could have her chance.

Dropping her oil-soaked lab-coat on the tiled floor, Bulma stripped down before stepping carefully into the shower, amazed at how much oil was dripping from her hair. There seemed to be much more than she had realised. How could she have known that something so small could have contained so much liquid?

She turned the shower on, fiddling with the taps until she got the temperature she desired. She stood under the water, running her hands through her aqua hair to get out as much as the gunk as possible. It was thick, and she noticed that the tiles were turning black from it all coming out of her hair. She reached for her shampoo, squirting out a large amount on her hand before mixing it into her hair.

Bulma was so busy trying to clean her hair, that she did not notice the door open before closing seconds later.

She stood out from under the water, the shampoo still in her hair. She figured that if she left it in for a few minutes, it would work better at getting the oil out. She looked down at her legs, wondering whether to give them a shave when the shower screen was thrust open, causing her to cry out and attempt to cover herself.

Vegeta closed the screen behind him before making his way under the running water. But it was much too warm for his taste, so he turned the hot tap down, stopping when the water became cool. As the water hit his hair, it flattened and trailed down his back. It had been quite a while since he had a shower, and even he had noticed just how smelly he had become. Not that he would ever admit that to the vulgar Earth woman. No, he wasn't allowed to think about her. Not now, not ever.

Bulma watched him with unbelieving eyes, her hands still covering her private bits. "Excuse me?" she exclaimed, causing Vegeta to freeze momentarily before turning around. His eyes grew wide as he took in the sight before him. He hadn't seen Bulma since their last intimate encounter, and most certainly wasn't expecting to find her naked. He turned back around, feeling his cheeks grow unnaturally hot. "What is it woman? If I recall properly, you're the one who constantly complains that I stink."

In her annoyance, Bulma forgot to cover herself as she moved towards him. "That may be true, but that doesn't give you permission to ruin my own shower. I'm covered in oil, and Kami knows how long it will take for me to get all of this gunk out of my hair." she replied, placing her hands on his hips. Vegeta didn't turn around, and little did she know that he was determined not to see her naked again. "I'll be finished soon." he remarked, rubbing his arms down with the soap.

Huffing, Bulma used all her might to push Vegeta out of the way and stepped under the water, rinsing all the shampoo out of her hair. Vegeta closed his eyes, but it was too late. He had seen her naked beauty in all it's perfection, his body was going crazy again, and he felt out of control. Bulma looked at him quickly, turning away as she noticed just what was happening. She felt almost flattered that she had that affect on Vegeta, but was unsure if she wanted to repeat what had happened last time.

She was attracted to Vegeta, this she knew, but she was also aware that she would never have a proper relationship with the man, nor a future. Their relationship was purely physical, passionate. She wasn't sure how long it would go on for, when or where they would get together. She also felt slightly guilty because of Yamucha, but quickly pushed these feelings away. It wasn't going to happen again, surely. She was pretty certain that Vegeta had no feelings for her, after all, he had been avoiding her since last time.

Her thoughts were short-lived as Vegeta suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him, her lips meeting his in a desperate kiss that was full of longing and needing. Vegeta had seen no point in resisting Bulma, as much as he tried to fight his feelings, they were there, and persistent when she was in his presence. She had an affect on him that he couldn't explain, no matter how much he tried.

They made their way down onto the tiled floor of the shower, and Bulma was grateful that she had asked for an extra large one, otherwise this would have been quite awkward and uncomfortable. Vegeta laid her down on the floor, moving on top of her, his hands moving to her breasts, roaming as his tongue snaked into her mouth. But Bulma had different ideas.

She pushed Vegeta off her and quickly moved herself on top of him, laying him on his back on the floor. He looked at her bewilderedly, and she couldn't help but give him a cheeky grin. It was her turn to be in charge now, and although she knew that it would be hard for Vegeta to get used to that idea, it was time that he learned that he couldn't be in control of everything all the time.

Bulma leaned down to kiss him, pushing her wet aqua tendrils on one side of her neck. Vegeta's hand went to the other side, holding her head to his as he kissed her deeply, feeling his body grow hot along with hers. Her body felt incredible, the torrent of water making her skin feel more silky and smooth than it already was. His other hand now roamed her back, trailing down her spine. She shivered slightly, and Vegeta couldn't help but smirk into their kiss.

To his dismay, Bulma pulled away, and sat up on him with her back straight, lifting her head backwards into the line of water coming from the shower-head, cascades of water running down her body. Vegeta watched in amazement, he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life than her naked body. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to last until he could have her, and Bulma looked down in time to see the impatience cross his face.

She grinned. Vegeta was right where she wanted him. She slowly lifted herself up off him, and the panic was visible in his dark eyes, his hands flew to her waist and Bulma could feel him trying to push her back down. She simply looked at him with her blue eyes, telling him without words that it was alright. Vegeta's hold loosened, and Bulma continued. She reached down to find his manhood, which to her delight was rock-hard. Bulma then proceeded to lower herself down onto him, letting out a groan of pleasure as she did so. She then let go and pushed down until he was completely inside, before lowering down and giving Vegeta another kiss, her tounge running across his lips.

Bulma took both of Vegeta's hands in her own and lead them to her breasts, hoping that he would catch on to what she wanted him to do. Luckily, he got the idea and began to knead them softly, making her moan softly. Now it was her turn. Gently, she raised herself up and then back down, making sure to keep in a rhythm. Now it was Vegeta's turn to let out a cry of pleasure, one of his hands left her chest and travelled down to her hip, keeping a firm hold before the other one followed.

Bulma continued to move up and down, getting faster as her breathing became heavier and quickly along with Vegeta's. His hands on her hips were helping, lifting her and pushing her back down, his grip tight but not painful. She looked down at Vegeta, who looked back at her, his dark eyes full of lust, something she had never seen before, not even the last time they had been intimate.

Her thoughts were cut short as Vegeta rolled them both to the side, before moving her underneath him. Bulma was surprised, Vegeta had somehow managed to stay inside her throughout the entire manoeuvre. But she had no more time to think as he thrust himself into her again, his body beginning to quiver. His eyes remained on hers as he continued, getting harder and faster with each thrust, making Bulma cling onto his wet back with her fingernails.

Suddenly, she came with a loud cry, and with another thrust it was his turn. Vegeta laid down on top of Bulma, laying his head in the crook of her neck as their bodies convulsed together from their intense climaxes. She could feel his breath slowly return to normal, and silently wished that he would stay with her. But as always, Vegeta had other ideas.

He quickly moved off and out of Bulma, before standing up under the water. He ran a hand through his thick black mane and quickly gave himself a quick wash before exiting the shower, not glancing at Bulma on the floor once. She heard a ruffling noise before the door creaked open and slammed shut, signalling his exit.

Bulma sat up, chewing her bottom lip as she wrapped her thin arms around herself. The sex had been intense, to say the least, even more so than the last time. It was amazing that it had even occurred once, and now it had happened again – certainly, there had to be something going on Vegeta's mind.

But as she slowly stood up, still a little shaky, Bulma realised that she wasn't even sure about her own feelings towards the Saiyan Prince. Sure, he was certainly attractive, but that seemed to be about it. Surely there had to be something more that drew her to him. Her thoughts wandered to Yamcha, and guilt washed over he body. It had only been a month since she had ended their relationship, and yet she had already slept with another man. Twice. Not to mention that Vegeta had also been responsible for Yamcha's death.

That had been a hard time for Bulma. Sure, she and Yamcha had been on a break when the Saiyans arrived, but she had planned on getting back together with him shortly afterwards. She had missed him, even with his playboy ways. And seeing him die on the television before her very eyes, that had been hard. His lifeless body on the screen brought everything she had ever felt about to him to the surface, and there were so many things she had wanted to say to him, but never could.

Of course, that was before sleazy Master Roshi had comforted her and then proceeded to remind her of the Dragonballs. After going to Namek and returning home, the day had finally come when she could wish her fallen lover back to life. The dragon had granted the wish, but she could not see him anywhere. Tears had sprung to her eyes, before a familiar figure appeared from the side of the building. And there he was, looking better than ever, his dark eyes shining brightly as they found her blue ones.

Everyone crowded the warrior then, and Bulma decided to retreat to her room. Surely Yamcha wanted to see everyone and have a good lengthy chat. She would have her chance to talk with him later. She made her way to her bedroom, opening the door to reveal a shadowy figure. Bulma opened her mouth to let out a scream before the figure walked forward into the light coming from the hallway. "_Yamcha?_"

He smiled, her favourite smile. Bulma entered her room, flicking on the light and closing the door behind her. "_I thought you were with the others._" Yamcha just continued to smile. "_There was someone else I wanted to see more._" Bulma rushed towards him, collapsing in his strong arms as tears began to fall freely down her cheeks. "_I missed you so much._" she cried, wrapping her arms around his torso tightly, determined to never let go.

"_I missed you too. More than you can imagine._" he replied, his warm breath tickling her ear. She looked up at him, and with he wiped away the lingering tears from her eyes with his thumb. "_Bulma, the whole time I was dead, there was something I wished I could tell you._" he admitted, his eyes searching deeply into hers. Bulma sniffed. "_Really?_" she whispered, and Yamcha nodded before moving his hands to the sides of her face, holding her gaze.

"_I love you, Bulma._"

"_I love you too, Yamcha._"

It hadn't been a lie. She had loved Yamcha with all of her heart, he was everything she could have ever wanted in a partner. But in the two years since, things had changed. They had found themselves drifting apart, wanting different things in their lives. And the more time that passed by, the more Bulma had realised that it was never going to work between them.

But now things were even more complicated, she had willingly begun something with Vegeta. It wasn't a relationship, just sex. But there was something else there, lingering feelings. Bulma shook her head. She didn't have the time to try and deal with this all now. She lifted her head up to the running water, giving herself a quick wash before turning off the stream of water. She noticed her hands were getting pruny, how long had she been in the shower for now?

Bulma left the shower and quickly dried herself off, before gathering her dirty clothes and coat and throwing them into the laundry hamper. Wrapping her towel around her tightly, she dashed to her bedroom and found some clean clothes, dressing and drying her hair with the towel as best she could. She then raced down to the lab, where she found her father waiting, and impatient and yet curious look on his face. "What on earth happened to you?" he asked his flustered daughter.

"Honestly Dad....I have no idea."


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey there readers!_

_Just letting you know that this will be the last chapter of 'Hate Me, Love Me' that I'll be submitting for a while. But don't worry, it doesn't mean that I've stopped writing, only that I have limited access to the internet and have no idea how long it will be until I'll be online again._

_However, I promise that I will be writing away in my absence, and I am determined to finish all of my incomplete stories. In the meantime, I'd love to know what you think of the story so far!_

CHAPTER SEVEN

Bulma hunched over again, clasping a hand over her mouth. Her throat burned and tears sprang to her eyes before she quickly crawled over to her nearby paper bin and threw up nosily into it. Once everything had come out, she sat back on her calves, looking to the ceiling. She hated feeling so lousy, and had felt like this for a few days now. It was on and off, and as smart as Bulma was she just couldn't think of what was causing her to feel so ill.

The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts, and Bulma quickly wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her lab-coat before running to the door. Throwing it open, she was surprised to see a familiar face looking sheepishly back at her. "...Yamcha?" she exclaimed, stepping back. It had been a while since she had seen her former love, and in all that time she had to admit that she missed him greatly.

"Hey Bulma." he said softly, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. Bulma indicated for him to come inside, which he did quickly before she shut the door. "Do you want a drink? Coffee?" Bulma asked, shuffling her feet slightly. "Sure. Sounds great." Yamcha replied, his face breaking into the smile she had loved so much.

They made their way into the kitchen, Bulma thankful that her mother was not currently at home. Her father was also out, attending a convention, and Vegeta was preoccupied with his training. Not that he would even care about Yamcha being there. Bulma shook her head slightly. This wasn't about Vegeta. This was about her and Yamcha.

Bulma slipped out of her lab-coat, revealing a black sun-dress, with spaghetti straps that ended just above her knees. It was perfect for warm days, and Bulma felt comfortable, which was needed when she was feeling so sick. Dropping the coat on the nearby chair, she ventured into the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine, turning to Yamcha as he sat behind the counter.

"You look good." he commented, looking Bulma over and making her cheeks flush pink. Yamcha did always know how to make a girl feel good about themselves. He was so different to the girl-fearing bandit she had met so many years ago. "You're not looking too bad yourself. I like the hair, the last cut you had made you look horrible." Bulma scrunched up her nose, remembering the bowl cut Yamcha had sported before they had broken up.

Yamcha raised a hand subconsciously to his newly-cut hair. "I've had long hair for so long, it's certainly taking a while to get used to it." he replied, watching as Bulma began to rummage through the kitchen cabinets, pulling out two mugs as well as a sugar tin. "I always did like you with the longer hair." she admitted as she opened the fridge, taking out the milk and setting it beside the mugs. "It may not have been in style, but it certainly made you look sexy."

Now it was Yamcha's turn to blush. "Maybe I shouldn't have cut it after all." he said softly, but Bulma didn't seem to hear him as she prepared the drinks, the coffee machine let out a shrill whistle to let her know that it was ready. "You still take two sugars and milk, right?" Bulma asked her guest, who merely nodded in return.

Once the coffees had been made, Bulma and Yamcha took their mugs out to the balcony, sitting down opposite each other at the table. Bulma took a sip, eyeing Yamcha carefully. There had to be a reason for him to be visiting her, surely. She was determined to get to the bottom of it, no matter how hard she had to push.

Luckily, she needn't have bothered.

"Bulma, there's a reason why I came here today." Yamcha admitted, setting down his mug on the table. Bulma's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He was certainly being open and honest, something that caught her off-guard. "Yes?" she prompted him, setting down her drink as well, watching him carefully.

"Take THAT!"

The droid crumpled from the energy blast and fell hard to the floor with a loud thud. Vegeta smirked. He was certainly getting the hang of this altitude of gravity. It was definitely time to turn it up a notch, but after he had something to eat. His stomach agreed with him, rumbling loudly as Vegeta made his way over to the control panel, making sure to return the gravity to zero. The red light faded, signalling that the gravity chamber was back to normal. He took one step towards the door, almost jumping as he did so. It always took him a while to get used to the normal gravity, but he was adapting quicker than usual.

The door opened and Vegeta made his way out onto the lawn of Capsule Corporation, squinting as the sun's natural light hit his eyes. It was much to bright outside, and he didn't like it. He raised a hand to his forehead, shading his eyes as they tried to adjust. Standing still, he tried to locate the energy sources within the building. The doctor and his wife were both out of the compound, leaving only the aqua-haired woman, much to his dismay.

He had been avoiding her again since their last encounter, Vegeta was determined to not have another lapse of control. The woman did strange things to him, things he couldn't explain. She had some sort of power over him, and she was very well aware of it. Vegeta hated being weak, and therefore he did everything in his power not to see her until he had come up with some way of defending himself against her.

He took another step forward, before realising that there was someone else in the building with her. An energy signal that felt familiar, but not one he was used to. His eyes darkened. The pathetic weakling. The woman's ex. A new strange feeling pulsated through his body, bubbling under his skin as his brows furrowed together. What the hell was that scum doing here, and what was he doing with the woman?

He closed his eyes, attempting to pinpoint their exact location. They were close, on the second level, and just outside the building... his eyes shot open, focusing on the large balcony before him. Quietly he flew up, making sure to keep out of sight. He could hear them talking, his skin shivering at the sound of the woman's voice. He shook his head. No, he wasn't allowed to think like that. Vegeta found a good spot underneath the balcony, where he could not be seen but was able to hear everything perfectly.

Bulma watched Yamcha carefully as he took in a deep breath. He was certainly nervous, and it made her even more curious as to what he was going to say to her. She took another sip of her coffee, surprised to find that it had cooled down considerably. "Bulma." Yamcha began, and she turned her blue eyes onto his scared face.

"The reason I came here today, to see you, is because... well, I, uh..." Yamcha cleared his throat before continuing. "I miss you. A lot. I want you to give me – us – another chance. I know I can make you happy if you let me. And if you want to get married, then let's do it. After all these years of being together, and going through so much, it's about time that I made a proper commitment to you."

Underneath the balcony, Vegeta let out a low snarl. How dare the weakling come here and make such a proposition to his woman! He froze. No, she was not his woman, he had no desire to enter in such a relationship with her. And yet, Vegeta refused to let someone else have her. He gripped his forehead. What the hell was going on?

Bulma could only blink. Had she just imagined all of those words coming out of Yamcha's mouth. Part of her wanted to sing out, to accept and smother him with love, but her brain knew better. Sure, it would be easy to accept Yamcha back into her life and become his wife, but she had to admit with a pang of guilt that she had moved on.

"Yamcha. I-" Bulma looked down at her hands, unable to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry." she said softly, lifting her eyes carefully, in time to see his face fall. "To be honest, I'm kind of... seeing someone." As much as she wanted to deny it, there was certainly something going on between her and Vegeta, even if it was only sex. The more she denied her feelings for the Saiyan Prince, the more she realised how fast she was falling for him, no matter how hard she tried not to.

"Oh really, you've moved on rather quickly." Yamcha muttered, his voice thick with jealousy before he slapped a hand over his mouth. Bulma looked at him, hurt crossing her face. But he was right. Things had happened quickly, and no matter how much she tried to justify that, it was still true. "So what's the deal? What's his name?" Yamcha asked, trying to tone down his curiosity.

"If I were her, I'd have kicked you halfway across the earth already."

Bulma and Yamcha looked up in unison to meet the cold stare of Vegeta, who hovered over the railing momentarily before landing beside Bulma. "You're still here?" Yamcha exclaimed, standing up from his chair and crouching into a defensive stance before the Saiyan warrior. "Great observation." Vegeta retorted, a smirk crossing his lips.

Bulma watched as her ex sized up Vegeta, before her eyes turned to the prince, looking him up and down. He was in fine form, looking better than she remembered. His olive skin glistened with sweat, defining his muscles as he flexed slightly before preparing to fight Yamcha, signalling for her to interrupt their little tiff.

"Both of you, knock it off!" she yelled, standing in between the two men. Vegeta scoffed and crossed his arms, Yamcha stood up straight and also folded his arms. Bulma turned to Vegeta. "What do you want?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at him. "I require food, and since you are the only person home, I had to come here." he answered simply, meeting her gaze with dark eyes. "You know Vegeta, you could have just waited. Or asked nicely, like a normal person." Vegeta just continued to stare at her.

"Fine. Go inside, I'll be in there shortly. It might give you a chance to learn some patience." To her surprise, and Yamcha's, Vegeta complied, turning around and making his way inside the house. Sighing, Bulma turned to her guest, who's mouth gaped open. "What?" she asked, looking confused. "Just...you... if anyone else had spoken to Vegeta like that, I'm pretty sure that he would have ripped their heads off."

Bulma laughed. "I've just trained him well. It's possible, if you just keep trying." she explained, looking out at the sky in time to see the sun disappear behind the trees. The day was almost over, the sun almost gone. Her mother would be due home soon, and then Bulma could have a good rest. "Well, I have to admit, I'm certainly in awe of you."

Yamcha moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her slender body in a warm hug. "I guess I'll be seeing you around." A sad smile appeared on Bulma's face. "Sounds good."she replied, both of the unaware of the furious dark eyes that watched them from inside. Yamcha let go, taking one last good look at her before standing up on the railing. "See ya." he raised a hand in goodbye, before flying off into the horizon. Bulma stood on the balcony, watching him until he disappeared from her sight.

Taking in a deep breath, she collected the two mugs from the table, taking them into the kitchen and placing them into the sink. A wave of nausea came over here, causing her to hunch over the countertop, gripping the sides tightly so she wouldn't collapse. Finally it left her, and she regained her stance, putting the mugs under the running tap to rinse them out.

"So woman, when will my meal be ready?"

Bulma dropped the mugs with a loud bang, clutching her chest as her heart began to race wildly. She had forgotten sending Vegeta inside, her mind had been preoccupied with other things. She turned around to face him, catching sight of him leaning against the far wall, half hidden in the afternoon's shadows. "Just give me a moment." she scolded him, turning back to the mugs, placing them on a drying rack.

She turned back towards Vegeta, and quickly moved over to him, trying to keep cool and collected. She was determined that this meeting would not turn intimate like their last two encounters, and yet as she looked at him, all she wanted to do was to feel his body pressed up against hers, his lips on hers in a passionate, desperate kiss...

The female was staring, making Vegeta uncomfortable. He knew that revealing himself to her and the weakling was a big mistake, but for some reason he felt compelled to interrupt their conversation. The pathetic excuse for a man wanted the woman to be his, but there was no way Vegeta would have allowed it. He didn't want the female either, but the thought of her with another man irked him in way he had never dreamed possible.

"Any requests?" Bulma asked him, trying to ignore the sick feeling that began again. "For what?" "For-" Bulma clasped her hand over her mouth again, dashing into the nearby bathroom and throwing up in the toilet, much to the horror of Vegeta who had witnessed the whole thing. She threw up again, coughing as her throat began to burn. This was getting ridiculous, she couldn't even keep down a coffee.

Bulma sat back and moaned. Something was definitely not right. "Woman, what on earth is wrong with you?" rasped a familiar voice, and Bulma looked up, surprised to see Vegeta looking over her with something that almost resembled concern across his face. "Nothing. I'm fine." she lied, attempting to stand up on her own, stumbling suddenly before a pair of hands gripped her arm tightly. "You are a very poor liar." Vegeta pointed out, watching her carefully, his grip not loosening.

"It's just a stomach bug." Bulma quickly flushed the toilet, embarrassed that Vegeta of all people had to see her like this. But his presence was strangely comforting, and she couldn't help but wonder if he had noticed his own concern for her. It was less than likely, otherwise he would have already scowled at her and walked away.

"Yoo-hoo! I'm home!" cried out a voice, before Bunny suddenly appeared in the doorway, her hands flying to her face. "Oh Bulma dear, what's wrong?" she cried out, looking at her sickly-looking daughter. Vegeta moved towards Bunny before thrusting Bulma to her, letting go of her arm. "I suggest you take her to a doctor." he informed the blond woman sternly, before walking past them and moving back to his favourite position against the wall.

"But Vegeta, what about your dinner?" Bulma protested weakly, as her mother took her arm. Vegeta looked out the window. "You can't possibly make anything in your condition. I can wait." Bulma opened her mouth to argue but Bunny was already pulling her away. Vegeta took one last glance as the two women disappeared, trying to justify his actions. He had never cared about anyone else, the only person that was important to him was himself. And yet, he found himself hoping that the female would get better, and not just so she could do his bidding.

As Bulma got into her mother's car, she felt the need to be sick again and ran over to the nearby bushes, Bunny watching after her. Bulma finally made her way back to the car, looking at her mother. "Sorry." she apologised, sitting in the front seat and closing the door behind her, Bunny following. Once on the road, Bulma turned her blue eyes to the window, watching as cars and houses went past.

"Bulma..." "Yeah?" Bulma murmured, turning her head to look at her mother. "Do...do you think you could be pregnant?" Bulma snorted in reply. "Oh please Mom, I'm not an idiot. I've been taking birth control for years now, remember?" "Yes, but still, you've been sick for a few days now. When was your last period?" Bulma's face froze in horror as she tried to remember.

"Miss Briefs, congratulations! You're pregnant!"

Bulma had no words, her mouth gaped open as she tried to comprehend the doctor's words. Pregnant. Her blue eyes trailed down to her still-flat stomach, trying to imagine a baby growing in there. She was horrified. Her mother, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier. She clapped her hands together, a beaming smile on her face. "Oh, how wonderful! I'll finally have a grandchild!"

Now Bulma had only one question left. Who was the father? The question made her feel dirty, but the truth was that she had been intimate with two different men within one month or so of each other. She looked up at the doctor. "Do you know how far along I am?" The doctor turned to his desks and ruffled through some papers. "From the scans and tests, I'd say the foetus is only a few weeks old."

Bulma held her head in her hands. Vegeta. Of course, only Saiyan sperm would be able to get through the birth control and get her pregnant. Now that she was aware of the situation, there was only one thing left to do.

But how the hell was she going to tell Vegeta?


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

_3 months later_

Bulma drummed her finger on the desk, deep in thought, her other hand subconsciously running itself over her slightly bulging stomach. The new battle droids that her father had manufactured were malfunctioning, and Bulma knew better than anyone that a grumpy Saiyan Prince made for an unhappy household.

Vegeta had become more and more unruly these days, and although he actually interacted with Bulma much more than before, she still hadn't been able to find the courage and inform him of her pregnancy. It was cowardly of her, she knew that, but it still couldn't push her to just blurt it out to the warrior. Her parents were the only ones who knew beside her, and they weren't about to risk their lives to tell Vegeta anything that could make him unstable.

She rose from her seat, clutching the chair as she did so. Bulma was aware that over the next few months moving around would become much more difficult as her stomach grew, and even now she needed help getting up from sitting. She considered ringing Chi-Chi, the only other woman who had been pregnant with and given birth to a half-saiyan child for useful information, but that would mean other people being aware of her current situation.

Bulma made her way into the kitchen, pulling the fridge open and getting out a large pitcher of ice-cold water before letting the door close. Finding a glass, she poured the water into it before taking a large drink, feeling almost instantly refreshed. As she went to take a second sip, the doorbell rang. Bulma set the glass down, preparing to answer the door, but it seemed that someone else beat her to it.

As she went to return the pitcher to the fridge, Bulma looked up to see her mother come bustling into the kitchen, a wide smile on her beaming face. "Oh look Bulma, you have a visitor!" she exclaimed brightly, and as if on cue, Yamcha entered the room, a warm smile across his lips. "Oh Bulma, your daddy and I are going out for dinner, so you two be good now!" Bunny winked at Yamcha, who's cheeks went instantly crimson, before the blond woman left the room.

Yamcha turned his attention on Bulma. "Hey." he greeted her, moving closer. "Hey." she echoed, closing the fridge door that had been hiding her body as she did so, revealing her stomach to her guest. The result was almost instantaneous, Yamcha's eyes almost bulged out of his head as they made their way to her belly. Seeing his reaction, Bulma quickly covered her stomach with her arms, but it was too late. "Bulma, are you... _pregnant_?"

Bulma knew that Yamcha was much too clever to be fooled, so she merely nodded her head. Yamcha moved over to her, placing a hand gently on her belly. "I'm not..." he began, and Bulma felt a twinge of guilt. "Oh Yamcha, I'm sorry." she replied sadly, but the tanned warrior shook his head. "It's alright, I mean, I wouldn't be cut out to be a father anyways." He stepped away from her, and sat down on the nearest chair, and Bulma saw the hurt that crossed his face. "It's his, isn't it?"

Fear gripped Bulma's heart as she instantaneously glanced out the window at the gravity chamber, where Vegeta was undoubtedly training away. Her eyes flickered back to Yamcha. Did he know the truth behind her unborn child's father? "Who's?" she asked nervously, wringing her hands together. "The guy you've been seeing." Yamcha answered, raising an eyebrow, before his face fell. "Unless there's another..." Bulma held up a hand to interrupt him. "No, you're right, it's his."

Yamcha sat back in the chair, obviously trying to take in that his ex-girlfriend had somehow managed to get herself pregnant to another man shortly after ending their relationship. Bulma could feel the guilt and betrayal seeping into her skin, she felt dirty. But she had never planned on any of it happening, becoming intimate with Vegeta, becoming pregnant with his child, and certainly not falling in love... she shook her head. No, there was no way she could have such strong feelings for the Saiyan Prince.

"Does he know?" Yamcha inquired, breaking Bulma away from his thoughts. Bulma let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the counter. "No, and I have no idea how I'm going to tell him." she answered softly, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling. "Are you still seeing him?" Bulma's lowered her head once more to look at her ex-boyfriend. "I...I don't know." came the honest answer, as she closed her eyes. The relationship between her and Vegeta had changed after they had slept together, and once again in the past few months.

They had been intimate one more time, a few days after she had learned of her pregnancy. She had been in the gravity chamber, making a few adjustments and taking full advantage of Vegeta being in the kitchen, eating Kami-knew what. She hadn't expected him to return so soon, and he made his presence known, throwing insults left, right and centre at her until she finally stood up and went to make her way outside.

Vegeta stopped her before she could leave, his arms wrapping around her waist as Bulma turned to look at him, seeing the familiar lust in his dark eyes. She wanted to say no, to stop anything before it could happen, but once again her own feelings took control, and she gave into him. But that had been the last time, afterwards he had almost thrown her out of the chamber, before returning to his training as if nothing had happened.

Since then they had returned to the way things had been before the first encounter, he was as rude and selfish as ever, and Bulma had regained her stubbornness when it came to him. But every time she saw Vegeta, she had fought with the urge to tell him about her pregnancy, and her growing feelings for him. The truth was, she enjoyed their verbal spars, and knew that he did too. But over time it was everything that drew her to him, the proud smirk that often graced his face, the way he stood too still and straight, the sad loneliness that appeared in his eyes ever so often.

Bulma returned her thoughts to the present, returning to her glass of water and taking a large sip of the cool liquid to parch her dry throat. She didn't want to think about it anymore, it seemed to be all she thought about these days. She turned back to Yamcha, trying her best to give him a smile. "So, what about you? Seeing anyone these days?" she asked, trying to make light conversation, and steer the focus away from her and her... situation.

Meanwhile, Vegeta turned the gravity chamber off, his thoughts disturbing him. The weakling was in the compound, no doubt pursuing the woman again. Vegeta had no idea why it irked him so much, it was not like the woman was his. Sure, he had had his way with her a few times, but that did not mean that she was to be his mate. Sex was sex, that was all there was to it. No feelings had to be involved, and that was they way he liked it. Vegeta was in no way attracted to the female, he was merely giving into the needs he had quashed for so long.

But he had other things on his mind, first being to drive the weakling off the property, and then to have the woman make him a vast amount of food, he was getting rather hungry quite quickly. He made his way into the main building quietly, making sure to keep his ki low and not alert the male human that he was on his way. He finally made his way to the kitchen entry, pressing himself up against the wall. Vegeta wasn't sure why he was eavesdropping again, merely it was his curiosity that was making him give in to such pathetic human mannerisms, nothing else. He fought back the voices in his head that told him what he was doing was foolish and beneath him, he was interested in what the weak man and irritating woman were conversing about.

He heard the weakling laugh, nervousness in his voice. "No-one at the moment." he spoke, obviously an answer to a question the female had asked him, possibly about him finding a potential mate? "I guess there's no girl that can measure up to you, Bulma." he added, and Vegeta's blood began to boil. The human was in no way of worthy of speaking the woman's name, let alone saying such a thing to her. Unfortunately, Vegeta was so lost in his anger that he forgot to keep his ki lowered, and winced when Yamcha's own spiked up, signalling that he was aware of the Saiyan Prince's presence.

Bulma's eyes turned to the entryway into the room as Vegeta appeared, and she froze. The look in his eyes told her that he wasn't too happy, obviously he had heard some of the conversation between Yamcha and herself. But how much had he heard? Had he learned of her pregnancy? No, she told herself, if he knew of the pregnancy, he wouldn't have waited so long to make himself known. "Vegeta." she spoke his name, and two pairs of dark eyes made their way to her. "What's up?" she asked him casually, trying to keep her tone light and shift the obvious tension in the room.

Vegeta eyes narrowed as he turned his head ever so slightly in Yamcha's direction, ignoring her question. "Why is the weakling here again? I hope he hasn't tried to proposition you once more." Yamcha's cheeks flushed pink as his eyes trailed down to the table. "Oh no, not in her current state." he replied nervously, Bulma's heart almost stopping with fear as Vegeta ran his dark eyes up and down her body. "I must say, you are getting – how do you humans say it? Fat, woman." Yamcha stood up quickly, his eyebrows narrowing, anger crossing his face. "She's not fat, she's pregnant you idiot."

Vegeta froze. The woman was with child? How could that be? He turned to face her once more, his eyes widening as he felt it. Yes, there was another ki, intertwined with the female's. But that was not the only thing that shocked him, it was that the ki was familiar, and seemed to be linked with his own. Vegeta stumbled back, his mouth agape slightly. The child the woman was carrying was his, there was no denying it.

Bulma stepped forward, trying not to startle the already shocked Prince. "Vegeta?" she said softly, raising a hand towards him. Vegeta regained his composure, standing up straight and turning his steel gaze to her face. Bulma felt the fear creep up under her skin, she had never seen him so furious before. "When were you going to inform me of this?" he hissed at her, his voice deep and low. "I've been trying to for months now." Bulma replied, tears beginning to build up in her eyes.

Vegeta scoffed. He doubted that she was ever going to tell him, that she planned to have his child and he would never have been aware of it. "Trying is never good enough. Are you planning to keep it?" he asked, trying to steady himself as the rage began to boil within him. If he lost control, he knew that the woman would be the first to die, probably within seconds. And as furious as he was with her, there was still a small part of him that wished for her to stay alive.

The tears finally spilt down Bulma's cheeks as she nodded to Vegeta's question. "Yes." she told him swiftly, trying to ignore the sob that resided in the back of her throat. She hated being weak, and she knew that Vegeta loathed it even more. If there was one thing she never wished to do again, it was to cry in front of Vegeta. And yet she wasn't strong enough at that point to keep a handle on her emotions.

Vegeta took in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did so. He couldn't look at her anymore, there were too many emotions that clouded him when he did. Anger, fear, rage, betrayal, hurt – it was too much for him to bear. "I see." he said softly, turning away from her, clutching his fists tightly as he reopened his eyes and swiftly removed himself from the room, making his way out to the lawn and to the Gravity Chamber, determined to rid himself of his thoughts and focus on other things that weren't the woman and his child. But no matter how far away he went, he could still hear her screaming his name.

"VEGETA!"

Bulma collapsed in loud sobs, covering her tear-stricken face with her hands. Vegeta was enraged, and no doubt hurt by the sudden news that she was pregnant with his child. She could see the loathing in his onyx eyes, and had no doubt that if he hadn't been so in control of himself, that she would be dead right now. Nothing could compare to the hurt in her heart, she had never felt so wounded.

Warm hands placed themselves on her shuddering shoulders, and Bulma remembered that Yamcha was still in the room with her – and that he had witnessed the whole thing. Another stab of guilt pierced her heart as she inclined her head upwards to meet his eyes, and she was shocked to see no anger there, instead his face was warm and comforting, even if there was a slight hint of pity. More tears came to her eyes, and Bulma swiftly stood up and buried her face in Yamcha's chest as he ran a hand gently up and down her back.

Finally with one last sniff, Bulma pulled away, rubbing the tears from her eyes and her cheeks, knowing that she looked a sight, her eyes most likely puffy and swollen. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried so much and so hard, and felt disgusted within herself for being so fragile. She looked up at Yamcha, guilt seeping into her skin as he smiled gently down at her. "I am so, so sorry." she whispered, afraid to touch him again.

Yamcha sighed before sitting down in a nearby chair. She could see him fighting with his thoughts and emotions, and was aware that this was a lot for him to take in. "You and Vegeta, then?" he asked, looking up at her, his eyes shining with hope that he was mistaken. Bulma nodded her head, and his hope was shattered. "Right."

Bulma approached him, pulling a chair opposite his and sitting down, covering her stomach with both hands. "It wasn't planned, not at all. It kind of just...happened." she began to explain, wanting Yamcha to know all the details. They had been together for so long, and yet she had done something horrible, especially as she knew Yamcha still loved her – at least he deserved to know everything. "It was just sex, nothing more. I know Vegeta doesn't have feelings for me, or any feelings for that matter, but.." she trailed off, her eyes falling to the ground, unsure of how to continue.

"You love him." Yamcha spoke, more a statement than a question, the bitterness apparent in his voice. Bulma's head snapped up. "I... think I do, but... I don't know why, or how." Her hands flew to her forehead. "It makes no sense. He annoys me so much, to the point where I want to kill him, and yet, if anything happened to him..." she looked up at Yamcha, a small smile crossing her lips. "...I don't know what I'd do."

"Well, I'm not going to pretend that I like it, but if he's what you want..." Yamcha stood up, picking up his jacket. "Anyway, I'd better be off. I came over here in my car and you know I hate driving in the dark." he told Bulma, and she could hear the slight waver in his voice. "Oh." she replied, standing up with him, and following him as he made his way to the front door. Opening it, he turned to Bulma, a sad smile growing on his face. "You take care now. And remember that no matter what, I'm always here for you." Tears gathered in Bulma's eyes at his words, and she threw her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. "Thank you." she whispered into his neck, as he wrapped his strong arms around her, trying to be careful of her stomach.

They finally broke apart, Bulma giving Yamcha her best smile. "I don't deserve to have a friend like you." she told him earnestly, patting his arm gently. "Yeah, I know." he replied, giving Bulma her favourite smile. "You'll make a girl so happy one day." she added, and the smile disappeared slightly. "Yeah." he answered, his voice thick with emotion, catching Bulma off-guard before he leant forward and kissed her lightly on the forehead. He then made his way outside, giving her a last wave before she closed the door.

Little did she know that as she crumpled against the door, sobbing loudly, Yamcha made his way to his car, entering quickly before swiftly collapsing into tears behind the wheel.

_Author's Note: So you've probably noticed by now that unlike a few V/B fanfics out there, I haven't done any Yamcha bashing. That's because he's one of my most favourite characters, and not to mention sexy. :P Besides, I thought I might give him a chance to be nice and understanding._


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

"Bulma?"

"Mmm?" came the reply as the aqua-haired woman turned from her desk to look at her father, a sympathetic look on his weathered face. "It's getting rather late, maybe you should consider getting some rest. For the baby's sake?" Dr. Briefs said softly, approaching her and patting her shoulders gently. He worried about his daughter constantly, and lately he feared that she wasn't taking care of herself. The bags under her normally bright blue eyes were the main indicator, the usual spark had faded down considerably. She gave a yawn. "I'll head to bed soon, I'm almost finished."

Dr. Briefs gave a loud sigh, before leaving his daughter in her laboratory. He knew it was pointless to argue with her, the last thing she needed right now was more stress. He made his way into his bedroom, where his wife lay awake, obviously waiting for him to join her. "How is she?" Bunny asked her husband, her voice thick with concern. Dr. Briefs shrugged out of his white coat, slinging it into the laundry hamper along with his shirt and pants. "Worse, I fear." he replied, crawling into the bed and wrapping his arms around Bunny, who laid her head on his chest. "I'm scared that if we don't do something, we're going to lose her."

Bulma rubbed her eyes, fighting off the sleep that continued to beckon her. She was determined to finish her new project, and was close to completing it, she could feel it in her bones. The baby gave a small kick, almost in protest that she rest, but she ignored it as well, merely rubbing her abdomen in reply. She was aware that she wasn't doing too well, she was much too stressed out all of the time and constantly in fear. Fear of the man who was the father of her unborn child.

Since finding out about her pregnancy, Vegeta had seemingly locked himself in the gravity chamber, and she hadn't seen him since. It had been so many weeks now, and all she wanted to do was see him, have a verbal spar with him, see that familiar smirk appear on his face. The only person that had seen him had been her father, and Vegeta had only seen Dr. Briefs to install a phone into the chamber, as he had taken to ordering in food instead of ordering Bulma or Bunny to cook instead.

Bulma's finger often lingered over the button that would allow her to look inside the gravity chamber, to see him, to know he was still alive, but she knew that once she saw him, a flood of emotion she had kept to herself would surface, and that would most likely not be good for the baby.

With a sigh of relief, Bulma smiled in triumph. She was finally done. She held the blue suit in front of her, impressed by her own sewing, considering she had never done much of it before. This was her apology gift to Vegeta, for not telling him about her pregnancy, for keeping such an important thing from him. Bulma also knew that sooner or later he would need his battle suit when he faced an enemy, and the old one, the one he had returned to Earth in all those months ago was much too ripped and torn for him to wear, and his pride would never allow him to dress in it anyway.

She remembered finding the old outfit only a few days previous, and knew that it would have to be thrown away, there was no way Vegeta could ever wear it again. He was the only clothing that he actually owned, save for the human clothing Bulma had provided him with over the past one and a half years. She was aware that he would never wear such clothing in a battle, he was so used to the armour supplied to him by Frieza. She decided to make him a new battle suit, but a much better one.

The undersuit was blue, but much more a royal blue than the navy one he had worn back on Namek, but more like the one she had remembered seeing on the television when he had first come to the Earth. It also went up to the neck, she thought it would give him much more protective coverage that way. She had used the old one in terms of measurements, she knew there was no way she could ask Vegeta to give her that information. Bulma had managed to replicate the alien materials that had been used to make the suit, making it light and stretchy, but protective.

The torso armour was almost similar to the first outfit he had worn, Bulma had come to realise that he preferred that outfit over the darker blue and white combination. The chest-plate was white and gold, but she had neglected the shoulder pads for much more stylish golden straps, that matched the gold on the back and the front. She completed the look with a pair of white gloves, and white boots with the same gold embedded on the toes. She wondered how good he would look, and hoped that he would appreciate the gesture.

Suddenly, Bulma's eyes grew even heavier than before, and knowing she had accomplished her task, she gave into the sleep, placing her head on her arms on the desk, knowing that there was no-way she would be able to make it to her room without passing out on the way there. The sleep came easily, and she welcomed it with open arms, knowing that in her dreams she would be happier than in the real world.

Vegeta slapped his cheek. He was losing focus again, wondering what the woman was doing instead of concentrating on his intense training. He knew that she hadn't been taking proper care of herself, and that worried him, even if he tried to fight it relentlessly. He turned off the gravity chamber, determined to call it a night and get some rest, maybe then he would be able to clear his mind, and get back onto the task at hand. Time was creeping up slowly on him, and he had just over a year to reach the Super Saiyan transformation and beat the androids before defeating Kakarott once and for all.

But the more he tried to train, the more he thought about the woman. It made Vegeta furious, he shouldn't be acting in such a way, he was nothing to her, merely the carrier of his child. Not that he could give a care about his offspring, he hadn't wanted it after all. He needed to get away, to regain his focus, and that was impossible when he was staying at the woman's place.

An idea sparked in his mind. Of course, he had the perfect solution. He needed to get away from there as far as possible, and the furtherest he could go was to space, where he belonged. And luckily for him, he was staying with geniuses, who had space-crafts at their disposal. He would merely take one and continue his training in the deep realms of space, where nothing could hinder his mind. There he would reach the next stage, become a Super Saiyan, and then return for the battle. He knew the female would have the space-craft capsules in her laboratory, and headed towards the room swiftly, entering quietly as to not alert the household to his intrusion.

But to his horror, the woman was before him, snoring softly as she slept at her desk. Vegeta groaned quietly, but was glad she was finally resting. He saw the capsule pouch beside her head, and swiftly approached the desk, his eyes resting on the outfit that lay on the other side of the sleeping female. It looked suspiciously like Saiyan armour.

He lifted the clothing up from the desk, inspecting it carefully, his suspicions confirmed. It looked like his previous battle armour, but a more updated version. His eyes drifted to the woman. She had made it for him, for reasons he could not fathom. His heart began to swell, a feeling he had never felt before. He fought off the various emotions that bubbled underneath his skin, and swiftly took off his shorts, shoes and socks to change into the new suit, surprised that it fit him quite well, and was rather comfortable.

Once the gloves and boots were on, the ensemble was complete. Vegeta found a nearby mirror, not surprised to find it in the woman's laboratory, knowing her vanity. He admired himself for a moment, before turning back to the desk and opening the pouch, locating the capsule he was after. He found it quickly, and turned to leave the room.

"Vegeta."

He froze, before spinning around slowly. The woman had uttered his name, he was certain, had she seen him? No, she was fast asleep. A smirk played on his lips. She was dreaming about him. Typical. With a sigh, he moved back to her, carefully picking her up off the desk and her chair and into his arms, afraid to awaken her. The least he could do was move her to her bed, she would find much better rest there. Vegeta convinced himself that he was not doing it out of care for the human, but that it was simply to help his child.

He moved silently though the house, the woman not stirring in his arms to his relief. His eyes could not help but trail down to her protruding abdomen, where his child lay dormant. She was halfway through the pregnancy, her stomach had grown considerably since the last time he had seen the female. Finally he reached her room, the door open. He entered and laid her upon the bed, covering her with a nearby sheet. Her eyebrows furrowed together, she was in distress. Vegeta instinctively sat beside her on the bed, his hand lingering over her forehead.

Vegeta stopped. What the hell was he doing? He shouldn't care about the woman, she was a pathetic earthling that irked him to no end, relentlessly annoying him and interrupting his training. She was vulgar, uncouth, infuriating – so why was he so worried about her health? Why did she grace his dreams so often, and his thoughts when he was wide awake?

He stood up, looking at her one last time as he clutched the capsule tightly in one hand. He would rid himself of all his thoughts, emotions and feelings of the female, and remove himself from her. She was more trouble than she was worth, and if she wasn't pregnant, Vegeta was sure that he would have gotten rid of her. And yet... No, no, no. Those thoughts were not allowed in the prince's mind. Those were the thoughts that had to perish in the deep realms of space.

He quickly opened up the doors that lead to Bulma's balcony, flying down to the lawn and clicking the capsule, throwing it away from him. It swiftly turned into a large space-craft, although it was much smaller than the one he had flown previously. Vegeta entered inside, checking the main controls, pleased to find that everything was in perfect working condition. With no hesitation, he closed the door, and started the ignition, taking a seat and buckling himself in for the journey into space.

Bulma awoke suddenly as her room began to shudder, the sound of a large engine filling her room. What on earth was going on? It took a few minutes to realise that she was in her bedroom, not in her laboratory, where she was certain she had fallen asleep. She looked up, to see that her balcony doors were open, a strange yellow light coming from them. Bulma immediately leapt out of her bed and out onto the balcony, gasping at the sight of a space-craft on the lawn, preparing to take off.

She ran through the building and out to the lawn, noticing that the gravity chamber was strangely dark and quiet. With a pang, she realised just what was happening. She continued to run towards the shining craft, tears falling freely from her blue eyes. He couldn't leave her. Not now. Not when he was furious with her, not when she was pregnant with his child.

"VEGETA!"

He heard her scream, and closed his eyes, determined not to allow the emotions that continued to creep into his body affect him. Vegeta only wished that she had stayed asleep, that she had not had to witness his leaving. But there was nothing that could be done, and he was about ready to take off. The engine gave a loud rumble then, and Vegeta felt the craft pressurise as it began to lift off the ground, making it's way further and further into the dark night sky.

"VEGETA!"

Bulma collapsed in loud sobs as the craft entered into the night, shining brightly for a moment as it entered the atmosphere before disappearing from sight. He was gone, and she had no idea when he would be returning, if ever. She had never felt so alone than she did at that moment. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, the tears coming thick and fast.

"Bulma?"

She turned around to see the worried faces of her parents, they had obviously witnessed the whole thing. She remained on the grass as her tears began to slow, unsure of what to say, not certain that her voice was strong enough yet for words. Her parents flew to her side in unison, her father pulling her into his arms, her mother stroking her back softly as Bulma began to cry again.

Dr. Briefs stood Bulma up, and gave her to Bunny, and the mother and the daughter shared a sad embrace as he went over to the gravity chamber, pushing a button that would revert it back into a capsule. Once this had been done, he returned to the women, and indicated for them all to return to the house.

Once inside, they passed Bulma's laboratory, her eyes widening as she looked inside. "Wait." she whispered hoarsely to her parents, removing herself from their arms as she entered the room, looking at her desk. The armour was gone, her capsule pouch open with one missing. Vegeta had obviously stolen the craft from her, and taken the outfit. Bulma's eyes trailed to the ground, where the discarded clothes lay. He had been wearing the suit she had made for him when he left.

Realisation dawned on her that it must have also been Vegeta that had moved her from the lab to her bedroom, but why? Such a gesture was very unlike the Saiyan Prince, perhaps it was his way of expressing gratitude for the armour? Or maybe even something more – but Bulma did not want to get her hopes up, she was hurt enough as it was. She turned back to her parents, who stood watching her from the doorway. She mustered her best smile, and returned to them, and slowly they made their way to Bulma's room.

"Have a good sleep. Unhindered by your thoughts." Dr. Briefs gave her a tight hug, before she turned to her mother for another embrace. "I love you." Bunny told her daughter, kissing her on the cheek before she and her husband left Bulma to herself. The aqua-haired woman slowly made her way back to her bed, laying down and covering herself with the sheet once more, taking in a deep breath before the tears came again, and soon she cried herself to sleep, clutching her stomach.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

It was getting dark quickly, the sun swiftly disappearing behind the city buildings as the cool night air began to blow it's way into the house. Bulma wrapped her pink sweater tighter around her shoulders, shivering slightly. The nights were getting cooler, signalling that winter was rapidly approaching. Bulma sighed. Where had the time gone?

Her hands subconsciously rested on her large stomach that protruded from her small frame, the only thing that kept her sane these days. She'd been forced to cut all contact with all her friends, too ashamed to face them and admit the truth behind her situation. She could just imagine the looks of pity and disgust that her friends would wear upon their faces when they looked at her.

Bulma had also ceased leaving the compound, she was much too well-known and she knew that such news would spread like wildfire and tarnish her reputation. The heiress of Capsule Corporation, Bulma Briefs, pregnant and unmarried, the child's father abandoning them both. However, Yamcha had stuck around, even staying with her for the last few months as she entered the last stages of her pregnancy, sending Puar off to stay at Kame House with Oolong and Master Roshi.

She was grateful for his kindness, although she knew that there was more behind his graciousness, something that she could no longer return, no matter how much she earnestly wished she could. Every time Bulma saw his scarred face she felt the guilt, it never went away, never dulled in the pit of her stomach. But every day she pushed it away, not wanting to dwell on such things, and instead she tried her best to stay positive, despite what a feat it had become.

The balcony door opened, and Yamcha joined Bulma outside, handing her a mug of hot chocolate before taking a seat beside her. "Thanks." she murmured into her cup, taking a generous sip of the warm liquid, feeling the warmth spread through her body. Yamcha took a sip of his own drink, before setting his mug down and stretching out his arms. "It sure is getting colder." he commented, his hands returning to his hot chocolate.

Bulma nodded in reply, her body shivering again in emphasis. "How I wish it could be summer again." she sighed, taking another drink, her breath coming out as steam in the cool air. "I hate having to wear hideous thick jumpers and pants. Winter is not an attractive season." Yamcha snorted into his mug, before bursting into laughter, which Bulma joined in with.

"I'll never understand you and your fashion needs." He told the aqua-haired woman honestly, shaking his head slightly. "Even though I've been living in the city for years now, I guess I'm still just a desert bandit at heart." Bulma turned to look at him, cocking her head to the side. "I wonder what that same bandit would say if he could see you now."

The door slid open again, this time revealing Bulma's mother. "You two, come inside before you get sick! Especially you Bulma, what if something happened to the baby?" Bunny scolded the pair, who sheepishly got up from their seats, mugs in hands and entered the building, followed by the blond woman.

Once inside, Yamcha went and sat down behind the counter, Bulma entering the kitchen and looking in the fridge, her stomach yearning for food. She stood there for a few minutes, before finally pulling out a block of cheese, peanut butter and jar of pickles. As soon as Yamcha inspected her items, he scrunched up his face in disgust at her choices.

Bulma grabbed some slices of bread, quickly making a cheese, peanut butter and pickle sandwich. Once done, she took in a large bite, smiling happily as she did so. "Man, that's good." she commented, before turning to Yamcha. "Would you like me to make you one?" she asked, taking another large bite. Yamcha shook his head furiously. "I'm right." he replied, taking the last gulp of his hot chocolate.

Bulma finished off her sandwich as Yamcha got up from his seat and went over to the sink, rinsing out his mug and setting it on the drying rack. "I should probably go and do some training before dinner." he told Bulma, who smiled warmly at him. "It's good that you're getting back into it." she told him, patting his arm gently.

Yamcha nodded. "Well, there's only a year left, and I've slacked off a lot. When I think of what everyone else must have been doing..." he trailed off, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, I'll be here for dinner." Bulma punched him softly in the arm in a friendly gesture. "You'd better, since I'm helping Mom cook tonight." She turned away from him, heading towards the fridge to open it once more. "We're going to have such a feast tonight, roast beef with potatoes and pumpkins and-"

_Splash._

"...Bulma?"

The aqua-haired woman turned to her scarred guest, her blue eyes wide with fear. Yamcha's heart froze with panic, he had never seen her look so scared before. His eyes trailed down to her legs, where a puddle of liquid pooled between her feet. "Is that...did your water just break?" he asked Bulma incredulously, and all she could do was nod in reply, before she felt her legs collapse underneath her.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around her, and she gripped on tightly to them. "Bunny! Call an ambulance!" Yamcha called out loudly to her mother, who popped her head in the door. "What's the matt- oh my!" Bunny exclaimed loudly, before disappearing again. Bulma began to whimper as she had her first contraction, the pain was excruciating. "Just hold on. Everything will be alright, I promise." came a whisper in her ear, and she could only hope that Yamcha was right.

"Bulma, just remember to breathe. In and out."

"Just try to relax."

Uh, Bulma? You're kind of hurting my hand..."

**CRACK!**

"...What the hell was that?"

"I think...I think that was another bone breaking..."

"JUST GET THIS THING OUT OF ME!"

Bulma's face turned a violent shade of crimson as she let out another scream, the pain coming from her womb too hard to bear. To her left sat Yamcha, his own face contorted with pain as her hand clenched his, holding so tightly that his normally tan skin was slowly turning white from the lack of blood. Her parents stood together on her right, Bunny's face worried as she clasped her hands together to her bosom, Dr. Briefs staring at his daughters stomach in horror.

She knew she looked dreadful, but that was the furthest thing from her mind at that moment. All Bulma wanted was for the child that thrashed around in her abdomen to come out into the world, and no longer cause damage to her insides. Her swollen stomach was already splotched with black, blue and purple bruises, the result of having a Saiyan child. She wondered how on earth Chi-Chi had managed to survive her own pregnancy and delivery of Gohan, Bulma wasn't so sure that she would be lucky enough to live through the whole thing.

Another contraction came, sending Bulma arching off the bed, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead as she let out another painful yell, making her three companions wince and attempt to cover their ears. Once it had subsided, she slumped back onto the bed, panting heavily. The baby had already managed to break numerous bones in her body, and Bulma wasn't sure how many she had left intact. Never had she felt such an intense pain, and vowed that this would be the only and last time she would give birth.

Finally, the doctor walked it, a cheery middle-aged man with thick chestnut hair and bright green eyes. "Hello Ms. Briefs, how are we doing today?" he asked cheerily. Bulma merely stared at him, amazed that he could ask such a question, considering how horrible she looked. The doctor seemed to notice her silence, taking a good look at his patient before letting out a low gasp as his eyes settled on her stomach. "Oh my."

He immediately looked down to check the progress between her legs, his head coming back into view moments later. "This baby needs to come out, and soon. We need to get to theatre, now." he informed Bulma, who could only gasp and moan in reply as another contraction came, thankfully this one not as long and not as hurtful as the others. She looked at her parents in desperation, but all they could do was give her reassuring smiles. She turned her eyes to Yamcha instead, he was staring at her with a mix of horror and worry on his handsome scarred features.

Fear began to grow in her body, she became scared for the well being of the baby, as well as herself. What if she didn't survive the delivery? Would her baby grow up without either parents? Tears began to fall down her cheeks, but she took no notice of them as a group of nurses approached her, wearing the same look of horror on their faces. "We're off now, let's go have that baby." the doctor exclaimed, trying to lift up the spirit of the room, but failing miserably.

Bulma looked at Yamcha and her parents helplessly as she was taken out of the room, hoping that there was something she could do to ensure that she would see their faces again. It was Yamcha's face that broke her heart, it was contorted with intense despair, a look she had never seen on him before and hoped to never see again. She knew then that he still loved her, that wasn't going to end any time soon. For a brief moment, she wished with all her might that the baby was his, and that they had stayed together and achieved the hurdle of becoming a family.

But reality had a cruel way of crushing hopes and dreams, and as another contraction made her contort her body in pain, Bulma's thoughts were long forgotten. For a moment, she almost wished that Vegeta was there with her. He was always so calm and collected, never one to freak out at anything. She could use someone like that, someone to simply roll their eyes at her and tell her to stop panicking so much. But no, he wasn't here, he wasn't even on earth. Vegeta simply didn't care about anyone other than himself, and unfortunately Bulma had to accept that part of him.

Finally she was wheeled into the surgery room, blinded temporarily by the bright lights that hung from the ceiling, bouncing off the white that was everywhere – the floors, the walls, even the people surrounding her were dressed in white. Her heart began to race as fear crept into her body, and the baby could sense her distress, moving around more and causing more pain to her insides.

"Alright now Bulma, I need you to relax and lie down straight for me." the doctor approached her, a surgical mask over his face. Tears began to flow freely down her face as Bulma simply nodded, laying her body down carefully on the bed, making sure to take deep, rhythmic breaths. Her eyes shifted to her right, where a pretty young nurse stood waiting, a oxygen mask in her hand.

The nurse turned her hazel eyes to the doctor, who was inspecting Bulma carefully, his eyes constantly returning to her swollen and bruised stomach that lay exposed. A contraction came, the people surrounding her giving loud gasps in unison as she squirmed on the bed, tears burning in her eyes before it slowed, and she could breath again. The doctor gave a nod, and the nurse held the mask over Bulma's face. "Just take a few deep breaths, and it will all be over soon."

That was the last thing Bulma remembered.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer; **The beginning of this chapter refers to scenes from Dragonball Z, Episode 129: Upgrade to a Super Saiyan._

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Vegeta could feel the energy pulsating within his body, before it came bursting out in a blinding yellow light. He gave a cry of triumph. Finally, he, the Prince of all Saiyans, had achieved the transformation of a Super Saiyan. His hair had turned golden, his eyes teal, the markers of such a feat. It had taken him months, first to clear his mind of all troubles, and then to really get down into his training.

It had been the meteor shower that had triggered the transformation, unexpected and yet the perfect training scheme. It had turned into a battle, not only for the protection of his ship and the only way for him to return to the earth, but for his own life as well. Then the mother of all meteors appeared before him, ready to destroy both him and the ship. Vegeta had tried to blast the huge rock but failed, his training had affected him too much that even using all his strength was not enough.

At that point, Vegeta gave up. He just simply did not care anymore, it was too much for him to bear. He didn't care about surpassing Kakarott, he didn't care if he ascended into a Super Saiyan, he didn't care if he lived. That was when the Super Saiyan emerged in an explosion of golden light, the meteors around him disintegrating from the intense energy that beamed out of his body.

That had been many hours ago, and Vegeta had simply stood in the same place, over time controlling his transformation to the best of his abilities. It still took him a while to fully power up, but he was certain that once he returned to Earth, he would be able to keep it under control better. Vegeta powered down, his eyes and hair returning to their natural dark colour, and his eyes turned to his ship, which had miraculously survived the entire ordeal, save for a few minor scratches.

Once inside, Vegeta sealed up the door and began to initiate take-off, sitting down in one of the seats, closing his eyes. He had known that returning was inevitable, and yet he was unsure of how to face...her. The woman whose blindingly bright blue eyes and smooth aqua hair had haunted him in his dreams, when he could not control his thoughts or his emotions. He wanted to see her, to breathe in her scent and see that familiar glint in her eyes when she yelled at him. But he had fought hard to keep such thoughts within himself, buried away, and was not about to let them hinder him.

Without realising it, Vegeta fell asleep rather quickly as the ship zoomed through the vastness of space, heading towards a small blue and green planet. The numerous transformations had exhausted him, to the point where he had effortlessly fallen into a deep slumber, unaware of what was happening around him. His dreams made him restless though, of what was awaiting him back on Earth. The woman would have most certainly given birth to his child by now, his heir.

+-+

"We will be arriving on Earth in one minute."

Vegeta jolted awake at the sound of a voice, sounding suspiciously like the female's. However, he realised with a wave of relief that it had only been the ship's computer, alerting him to the fact that he was now entering the Earth's atmosphere. He looked out the windows, surprised to see that the sky remained dark, the stars illuminated brightly.

He braced himself for impact, hoping with his entire being that the landing would not be noticed, that the inhabitants of the compound would not be woken up. He could see the large yellow building rapidly approaching, and grit his teeth together as it became larger and larger in the window.

BOOM!

The ship stopped shaking, and Vegeta opened his eyes, looking around. He had landed on the lawn and thankfully, it didn't look like anyone had been alerted to his arrival. He pushed the button that opened the door, and stepped out carefully, adjusting the the Earth's gravity. He took in a deep breath of the cool night air, it was much pleasant than that on the planet he had been training on for months.

The first thing he attended to was to figure out who was in the building, and where by sensing their ki. The doctor and his wife were in their bedroom, still asleep. Vegeta grunted as he sensed another familiar energy – the weakling was here. Had he made his move on the woman in Vegeta's absence? No, not likely, the female was far away from him, her ki making Vegeta's skin tingle. And then there was one last ki, smaller than the others, and yet still very powerful – his child.

Vegeta made his way into the building quietly, remembering the passwords from all those months ago. What foolish people, they hadn't even considered to change their security since he had left. He walked up the dark hallway, prepared for anything. He made his way up to the second level, subconsciously heading to a door on the right, where he knew the woman was sound asleep beyond it. His hand hovered above the doorknob, as he fought a battle with his feelings. No, the female could wait. He had other matters to attend to.

Vegeta came across another door, this one slightly ajar. His curiosity peaked as he turned towards it, seeing the light blue that was splashed across the walls. His eyes gazed onto the door, where the word 'Trunks' was spelled across it in a rainbow of colours, accompanied by pictures of animals and toys. Vegeta scrunched up his nose. Surely this was not a name? But he had to discover what the room contained, and he pushed the door open further, his heart pounding as he saw the outline of a child's crib in the middle of the room.

He walked quietly up to it, trying to maintain control over his emotions as he looked down at the crib, to see a baby sleeping soundly within it. Was this his child? His eyes were pulled to a small tuft of lavender that sat upon the child's head. He frowned. Surely his child would have raven hair, like his own. He had never heard nor seen of a Saiyan child with such brightly covered hair.

The baby stirred, opening his eyes slowly to reveal his blue eyes to the dark stranger that watched over him. Vegeta gasped. The child had her eyes, the same blue orbs that haunted his thoughts. The baby thankfully did not stay awake too long, merely turning his head to the side and settling back into sleep. Vegeta was speechless. This child had to be his, his eyes were just like the female's, his mother's. A lavender haired son, Vegeta guessed from the blue walls.

"V-Vegeta?"

Vegeta froze, the voice sending shrills down his spine. He refused to turn around, unsure of what his reaction would be if he were to see that perfect face again. "I was merely inspecting the child." he answered her unspoken question coolly, crossing his arms, his eyes never leaving the form of his son. The woman was smart, she did not approach him, and Vegeta assumed that she was standing in the doorway, as he could sense her hesitation.

"'_The child'_ is your son." she replied, and he could hear the sternness in her voice. "I gathered that, since he has been unfortunate enough to receive your infernal eyes and such a horrible shade of hair." Vegeta commentated, looking over his son. There was something missing, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Well he certainly inherited your stubbornness and while his eyes may be my colour, they are all you." the female explained, and he could sense her taking a step towards him.

"I certainly hope that the name plastered across the door is not his." Vegeta stated, trying his hardest to stay calm, and not turn around to crush his body against hers. It had been much too long since he had been with the woman, and as much as he wished to never see her again, his entire body called out for her. "Trunks is perfectly fine, it's a family name. I would have asked you for your thoughts on the subject, but you were in _space_." The venom in her voice hit Vegeta, but before he could retaliate, he realised what was wrong with the child.

"Where is his tail?" he hissed, fury boiling under skin. One was not a true Saiyan without it, and it hinted that something was certainly amiss with the sleeping baby. "Have you lied to me? Is this brat not my son?" Before he could stop himself, Vegeta turned around, instantly wishing he hadn't as his eyes fell on her. All the rage within his body instantly vanished as her blue eyes looked into his own, the sadness contained within them startling him. "How could you say such a thing?" she asked him softly. "He had the tail when he was born, it almost managed to kill me when I was in labour. I had it removed."

Vegeta scoffed. "Why is the weakling here?" he asked, his face turning into a scowl as he changed the subject. "Has he managed to win you over? I didn't believe you could be so weak." His arms crushed against his chest as he tried to control the anger that came bubbling to the surface. How dare that pitiful human try to take Vegeta's woman away from him?

He froze. No, she was not his woman, he didn't want her. And yet, he did want her, badly and urgently, to the degree that if they had not standing in their son's room, he would have taken her right there and then. But that was the way a man felt about his mate, his life partner, not some vulgar and uncouth woman who he had simply had sex with a few times. It wouldn't happen again, he would make sure of that.

He had almost forgotten that she was standing before him, so lost in his own thoughts before she spoke. "How could you think such a thing! Especially when I..." she trailed off, turning to face to look away from Vegeta. "Yamcha is just staying here temporarily, to help me out with Trunks. Since his father has been gone for so long, to Kami knows where."

Vegeta's eyes flashed darkly. "Well now I have returned, and I want that pathetic excuse for a man out of here by the morning." he demanded, but the woman simply glared back at him, and he could see her anger rising. He had missed this, he realised, before squashing the feeling. "Excuse me? This is my house, and you can't just waltz back in here and order me to throw out a welcomed guest."

His eyes narrowed. Things were not going his way, and he disliked that to a great degree. "Well then both he and you had better stay out of my way. I only have precious few months left to continue my training until the androids appear, and I did not return to be continually pestered." Bulma took in a deep breath before speaking, her voice soft and wavering slightly. "Why did you come back Vegeta? Was it for me and Trunks? Please, I need to know."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Woman, you shouldn't hope for such things." he answered sharply, before he headed out of the room.

The female grabbed his arm, a foolish move in his mind. Vegeta fought the urge to retaliate with his other arm, but something stopped him from doing anything. "I'm the mother of your child, and yet you don't even remember my name." she whispered, and he was surprised to see tears that began to flow down her cheeks, and his self-control disappeared.

Vegeta turned to her, taking the hand that gripped his arm and pushing it away. "Bulma." he spoke her name, and the result was instantaneous, her eyes widened and her heart began to beat. He could feel her breath on his neck, realising just how close they were standing, he ignored the tightening in his groin. "I am only going to say this once, so I suggest you listen carefully." His dark eyes met with hers.

"I did not return for you, nor the child. I came back to fight the androids, defeat Kakarott, and then destroy this mudball you call a planet." He closed his eyes, not wanting to see her face before he turned back to the door. "I will stay here, however, until that time comes." And with that he left her in the room, feeling the rapid change in her ki as he strode towards the room that was once his, and would be again.

But even as he closed the door behind him, he could still her crying his name.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note/Disclaimer; **The next few chapters will be taking place in between the episodes that occur in the Android and Cell sagas, and may contain scenes from the show as well. Most of it is just 'behind the scenes' stuff really, I'm assuming that you've seen the episodes and therefore know what's happening with the rest of the gang._

CHAPTER TWELVE

Bulma watched as Gohan flew further and further away, disappearing into the sky. The poor boy was so consumed with worry for his father, and she could understand greatly how he felt. Worry seeped into her body, she couldn't imagine the world without Goku, her oldest and dearest friend. But she couldn't let her own feelings be apparent in from of Gohan, and so she kept her cheery demeanour.

Bunny turned to Bulma, her bright smile never fading. "So are you hungry dear?" she asked her daughter, but Bulma shook her head. "I've got to fix Trunks up with some fresh new clothes and feed him, maybe later." Her blue eyes focused on the short, chubby man that stood frowning across the lawn. "However, I do know someone who's worked up an appetite!" she exclaimed, and Bunny followed her gaze over to Yajirobe, before approaching him with her hands clasped together.

Bulma turned to enter the house, trying her best to concentrate on Trunks and his needs before anything else. She made his way up to his room, quickly placing him on the change table before getting out a clean diaper and some fresh new clothes. Her son merely watched her with curiosity as she quickly undressed him and gave him a quick wipe over with a wet cloth, before putting on the new diaper and changing him into the clean clothing.

Trunks gave a yawn, and Bulma could tell that he was getting sleepy, he'd had such a big morning already, especially with the plane being attacked and then the flight back home with Gohan. But before he could have a nap, he needed to be fed. Bulma picked Trunks up and cradled him in her arms as she wandered into the kitchen, pulling the fridge open to retrieve some puréed vegetables she had prepared the night before and placed it in the microwave.

As his food warmed, Bulma set Trunks down in his high-chair, where he clapped his hands happily, obviously aware that he was in for a feed. Bulma leaned on the counter and watched her son in awe, he surprised her every day. He was a strong child, no doubt getting that from his Saiyan father, but the smarts were there too, certainly from her.

Her mind drifted to the other Trunks, the one she had first met three years earlier before re-meeting him again after he had saved them from the plane. Only after he had blasted off after Vegeta had she learned from Piccolo that the lavender-haired man was actually her son, he had come from seventeen years in the future to aid them in the battle against the androids.

She felt her chest swell with pride, her son was going to turn out to be a rather handsome young man, like his father, but without the menacing scowl that usually accompanied Vegeta's face. He was powerful too, already able to transform into a Super Saiyan at will, at his young age.

The microwave beeped then, taking Bulma away from her thoughts and alerting her that Trunks' food was ready to eat. She took it out, blowing softly to cool it down and took a spoon out of the drawer, before pulling a chair over to Trunks that she sat down on, her son wearing an impatient look on his face, his mouth already gaped open, awaiting the food to enter it.

She couldn't help but laugh at Trunks, who furrowed his lavender eyebrows together at her. Sighing, Bulma took a spoonful of the vegetables and fed it to him, and he wriggled his toes together happily before his mouth opened again, signalling his want for more food. Bulma complied to her son's wishes, giving him another spoonful.

Before she knew it, the small bowl was empty, Trunks content with his meal and obviously full as he gave a yawn. Bulma was glad that her son was easy to read, she could tell when he was hungry, tired, annoyed, sad. He was a good sleeper, and easy to cheer up when he cried. She placed the bowl and spoon in the sink, before turning back to Trunks and picking him up from his high-chair.

As they made their way back to Trunks' room, he snuggled his head into the crook of her neck, holding onto her tightly with his chubby arms. Bulma rubbed her son's back gently as they entered the sky-blue coloured room, where she placed him down in the crib, covering his small body with the blanket before leaning down and kissing him on the forehead. "Have a good sleep, Trunks."

Closing his door gently behind her, Bulma gave a sigh, knowing that now she didn't have Trunks to focus on, her thoughts were going to come seeping in to her mind, along with the emotions that accompanied them. But before she had a chance to do anything, her mother appeared, whistling softly before she noticed Bulma standing in the hallway.

"Is Trunks having a nap?" Bunny asked her daughter, who nodded. "He's pretty tired. Hey mom, where's Yajirobe?" Bulma asked, noticing the man's absence. "Oh, he certainly did eat a lot! But he had to go home, I think he said. I'm sorry honey, did you want to say goodbye to him?" Bulma shook her head. She was well aware that Yajirobe would have only hung around until he had eaten all that he could fit into his stomach.

Bulma went to walk down to her room, but Bunny called out to her. "Would you like to do something together? Watch a movie?" she asked her daughter hopefully, but as Bulma turned around, she gave her mother a sad smile. "Thanks mom, but I just really need to be alone for a while." she replied, before walking into her room and closing the door behind her.

The first thing Bulma did was select a change of clothes, choosing a matching pants and jacket combination in a bright orange, one of her favourite colours. Her old clothes went into her laundry hamper, before she sat down on the bed, crossing her legs underneath her. It had been such a day, and she wasn't sure how to process it all.

_Seeing Yamcha hurt like that, it reminded her of seeing his death broadcast on the television all those years ago, when the Saiyans had first arrived on Earth. Krillin brought him to Bulma, who had been given the bag of Senzu beans by Goku earlier. He looked awful, with blood coming out everywhere from the large gaping hole in his chest._

_Quickly she had opened the bag and picked one of the hard green beans out, handing it over to Krillin who fed it to the wounded man. Bulma watched, her heart gripped with fear. She would hate to lose Yamcha again, once had been enough. If he died once more, he would not have been able to be brought back to life by the dragonballs. The wound looked much to serious to her to be treated simply by the a senzu bean. Bulma knew they could work miracles, but Yamcha looked closer to death._

_Even if their relationship had changed into a friendship, she still needed him. Yamcha had been the one that stood by her when things got tough, and consoled her when she cried. Even when Vegeta had left, Bulma had been in a pit of despair that no-one was able to reach her in, except for him. He pulled her out, and kept her happy. He was her best friend, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to carry on without him._

_To her relief, the affect of the senzu bean was almost immediate. Yamcha's wound began to close up, the skin meshing together once more over the newly repaired flesh. His eyes opened, and seconds later he was sitting up, breathing heavily as his hand gripped over the hole in his gi, the only mark left of the vicious attack he had upon him. _

_Krillin and Gohan both gave loud sighs of relief, Yajirobe simply said nothing. Bulma rushed over to the scarred man, dropping to her knees and wrapping her free arm around him. "Don't ever do that again." she had scolded him, and he had simply smiled at her, before the city began to light up, an explosion erupting that seemingly destroyed many of the buildings._

The most important thing was that Goku would be alright, and that his heart condition that had forced him out of the battle was treatable by the medicine the older Trunks had given him three years ago, before they even knew who the lavender-haired stranger was, before she had even begun to think of Vegeta in any romantic way at all. The same Vegeta who had failed to protect them, when they were hurtling towards the ground, after being attacked by the newly modified Dr. Gero.

That had affected her greatly, even if she hadn't shown it at the time. The last thing she remembered was seeing everyone, happy that they were all in one-piece, even if they were missing Goku and Yamcha. Vegeta hadn't even shown any remorse, nor concern for either of them. She knew he was cold, but not so heartless. She had seen the true Vegeta today, not the one she had fantasied about in her head, the Vegeta who had a gentle side to him, hidden far away within himself.

And yet, as much as she wanted to hate him for all the things he had put her through, she knew that she still had the same feelings for him, and that she wanted to be with him. It had been a hard couple of months for Bulma, once Vegeta had returned, she had almost expected things to go back to normal. Yamcha had eventually moved back into his own house, but came over to visit regularly. Vegeta retreated to his gravity chamber, and hardly ever came out. And his words kept running through her head, the words that had shattered her heart into a million pieces.

"_I did not return for you, nor the child. I came back to fight the androids, defeat Kakarott, and then destroy this mudball you call a planet. I will stay here, however, until that time comes."_

The time had finally come, and Bulma wondered if Vegeta had achieved his first task of destroying the androids. Goku would have to wait, his sickness would buy them time at least, even though Bulma felt horrible thinking about it like that. Vegeta would want to battle Goku at his best, his pride would demand nothing less. But would he really destroy the planet?

Two years ago, she wouldn't think that Vegeta would be capable of doing something so evil. Bulma had been so sure that the evilness in Vegeta's heart had diminished greatly, after all, he had slept with her, and not killed her afterwards, something she had been worried about, knowing his track record. But then he just continued to prove her wrong. At least now she knew where she stood with him – nowhere. It was unrequited love, and she doubted that he would ever return her affection.

Bulma lifted a hand to her cheek, surprised to find wetness there. She hadn't even realised she had been crying, too caught up in her thoughts. She wiped them away, annoyed with herself for being so emotional. She was going to have to keep thinking positive, and keep the smile on her face that she had been wearing all day among her friends. They had no idea the emotional turmoil she was going through, and that was the way she was determined to keep it. Only Yamcha really knew the truth, and that was enough.

She needed to breathe some fresh air, and decided to go into the large study, where she would be able to make a couple of calls and find out what was going on with everyone else. She quickly went into Trunks' room first, making a silent apology to her son as she picked him up from his crib, relieved that he did not stir. She took him into the study, where another crib was set up, and placed him down. Bulma needed her son to be near.

The first number she dialled was the Sons, she desperately needed to find out how Goku was doing and if Gohan had returned home safely. But the phone continued to ring, and after a minute had passed, Bulma slammed the phone down in frustration. She went to turn away when it began to ring, and she picked it up quickly. "Hello?" she asked hopefully, hoping to hear a familiar voice at the other end of the line.

"Miss Bulma? We have a man on the other line, he asked to speak to you about something important." Bulma's heart sank in disappointment. She sat herself down on the comfortable chair next to the table on which the phone was sitting, before sighing. "Alright, put me through."

"_Hello?"_

"Hello there sir, you're talking to Bulma Briefs of Capsule Corporation. How can I help you today?"

"_Well, you see, my wife and I found an old abandoned vehicle out where we live, but I'm not quite sure how it works, or how I'm supposed to fly it. So I was wondering if you could help us out, give us some information?"_

"Where do you live, sir?"

"_In Area 374. It's quite rural out here, and so there's not really anyone here to ask for help."_

"I see. Could you please tell me what kind of vehicle it is?"

"_Well, uh, it's quite tall, and yellow, with long spindly legs. It looks like it only flies one person, with a large glass roof that unfortunately has a large hole gaping in it."_

"Oh, I'm...I'm not sure that's one of our products, I can't recall a vehicle that matches that description..."

"_Well, it does have 'Capsule Corporation' written across it, that's how we knew to call you."_

"Really? Well, could you possibly send us a photo of it? Just so I can make sure."

"_No problem. It should be coming through anytime now."_

Bulma sat moved over to the fax machine, hoping that the loud noises it was sure to make wouldn't distract Trunks from his slumber. Just at that moment, it began to beep, alerting her that the picture of the mysterious vehicle was coming through. Her blue eyes widened as the photo began to appear, she had most certainly seen that product before, she had no doubt of it.

"_Ma'am? Are you there? Did the photo come through?"_

"Yes, I've got it here with me now. I'm afraid that I'm going to have make some inquiries, but if you leave your name and number, I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

Once the man had given Bulma his details, she hung up the phone and sat back down in the chair, her eyes never leaving the photo she held in her hand. It was Trunks' time machine, the same one she had seen all those years ago when he had first arrived. But it had totally been abandoned, covered in moss and looking worse for wear. Trunks would be devastated, there was no way he would be able to return to his own timeline with the machine in such a condition.

She looked over to the phone. She needed to tell Trunks, to break the news to him. But Bulma had no idea where he was right now, all she could do was hope that he was okay, wherever he was. There wasn't much to do now but wait for news. She tried the Son residence again, but once more there was no answer. Just as she set the receiver back down in it's cradle, the phone rang.

"_Hello, Miss Bulma? We have a man named Krillin on line, wishing to speak with you?"_


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

_**Author's Note; **As you can already see, the story has undergone a name-change. I just felt this new title fitted the story much better, I was never really a fan of it's original name. I also have some good news for all you loyal readers out there – updates will now be more regular!_

_So enjoy, and remember that reviews are very much loved. :)_

It had been three days since the androids had arrived, three days since a bigger threat had made himself known, three days since Bulma had seen Vegeta and the older incarnation of her young son. Luckily for the aqua-haired genius she had plenty of distractions to keep her busy, since Krillin had come to her laboratory with the late Dr. Gero's plans of the android named simply 'Seventeen'. Now she worked day and night to decipher the plans, in hopes of finding a weakness or something that would give them the upper hand.

In her right hand Bulma held a small remote control, possibly one of her best inventions yet. She was hoping that once she had browsed through the thousands of circuits that were in the android's plans, she would be able to use the remote control to shut them down, and render them useless. It would disable their circuits once the large red button on the control was pushed, and they would no longer be a threat to the world, and the new enemy that was named Cell would not be able to absorb them and achieve his perfect form.

Bulma rubbed her eyes, the last forty-eight hours of going without sleep beginning to affect her. In truth, she was too scared to close her eyes, worried about the nightmares that would most certainly plague her, visions of her friends dying horribly, of Vegeta being destroyed. So all she could do was focus on the remote control, and hope to Kami that she hadn't missed anything vital in the plans.

Just then, her father entered the room, carrying an abnormally upset Trunks in his arm. The look on Dr. Briefs' face said it all. "Bulma, could you please take him for a bit? He's driving us all up the wall." he told her bluntly, holding the baby out to her. Bulma sighed, rolling away from her computer and taking Trunks in her arms. "Alright, I'll calm him down, but I really have to get back to this soon. I'm so close to completing it, I can almost taste it."

Dr. Briefs gave Bulma a grateful smile before another person walked in the door, this one making Bulma slightly annoyed. Since he had been dropped off at her house a few days previous, Yajirobe had made a habit of visiting every day, mostly to eat the food that her mother always graciously prepared for him. It made Bulma quite angry, that he would take advantage of Bunny, especially as the blond-haired woman had a big, kind heart.

"Hey." Yajirobe greeted father and daughter, his mouth in it's usual disappointed frown. "Where's Bunny?" he asked, looking around the room. Dr. Briefs glanced at Bulma, her own feelings reflected in his face. "Come on, I'll take you to her." he told the chubby man, and they left Bulma alone to tend to the now settled Trunks, who was watching his mother carefully.

She looked down at him, blue gazing into blue as she tapped his nose softly. "Now you, I certainly hope you're not just going to keep crying all day. Your mom has a lot to do, and it's very important. This could very well save you, and your daddy." Bulma told Trunks, rocking him gently in her arms. He gurgled at her happily, and was obviously glad to be spending time with her. Bulma felt slightly guilty, over the last three days she had been so busy working that she had not been able to spend with her son.

But Trunks seemed content in her arms, and as she sat back in her chair, she couldn't help but think about what Vegeta was missing out on. Since returning to the Earth, Vegeta had only seen his son one time, and that had been the night he had come back, and she had found the stoic warrior in Trunks' room, 'inspecting' him as Vegeta had put it. But as Bulma looked down at the lavender-haired child, she could see his father in him, in both features and personality.

With a pang of sadness, she felt that the future Trunks had been better off – at least Vegeta had an excuse of not being with his son, he was dead in that timeline, destroyed by the androids. She knew that it was a horrible thing to think, and would never speak of these feelings out loud. But the Trunks of this timeline had a perfectly alive father, who had simply chosen to ignore his family of his own choosing. Bulma couldn't seem to understand why, she had never met such a heartless, cold man.

And yet she had been so convinced that there had been more to the Saiyan Prince, much more that lay under his cold, hard exterior. She was aware of some of his background, Goku had been more than happy to fill her in on what he knew. Being ruled over by such a creature like Frieza was sure to make a permanent scar on anyone, especially as Vegeta had only been a young boy when he had begun working for Frieza. He had been ordered to kill whole civilisations and planets in the blink of an eye, without remorse or guilt.

Vegeta had the blood of thousands, possibly even millions on his hands, and yet all Bulma wanted to do was hold him in her arms, protect him. She could sense that there was a fragility about him, a side that he would never reveal to anyone, or even acknowledge it himself. But it had to be there, surely. Goku was the only being alive who had witnessed another side to Vegeta, the one who had watched the Saiyan Prince cry as he revealed his life in the last few moments of his death on Namek, after being ruthlessly killed by his own master.

Breaking away from her thoughts, she returned her focus to her son, who had thankfully fallen asleep in her arms. Her face breaking into a soft smile, Bulma got up from her chair and quickly placed Trunks in the small cot she kept in her laboratory, pleased that he did not stir, and continued to snore softly. This was good, it would give her a chance to continue her work, and to give her parents a break. She knew that they loved their grandson, but even Bulma had to admit that the half-Saiyan child could be a bit of a handful at times.

Bulma sunk back down into her chair, her blue eyes returning to the computer screen once more. She was so close to finishing the remote control, she just knew it. All she had to do was continue to browse through the circuits, double checking everything before she could give it to one of her friends – whoever was trusted with such a feat.

+-+

Meanwhile, Vegeta stood on the highest peak of rocks that he had found, staring out into the wasteland that surrounded him. His defeat by the female android earlier still played continually in his mind, never had he been so ashamed of losing a fight before. The last three years of his life, the intense training that he forced himself through, the achievement of ascending to a Super Saiyan at last had meant nothing. He had still been beaten to the ground easily, his pride and reputation torn to shreds.

He tried his best to ignore the presence that accompanied him, the lavender-haired fighter who had been watching him relentlessly for the past few days, the boy that was a constant reminder of the woman that determined to haunt his every thought. Even after Vegeta had made it clear that he did not want the boy to be anywhere near him, he had persisted. Vegeta had to give him some credit, after all, it was pure proof that he was indeed his son, the boy's stubbornness was indeed his own.

Although he fought against it, Vegeta's mind went to the woman once more. He blamed her for his defeat, she was the reason that he had been so weak, or at least that's how he justified in his mind. All of the time he wasted being with her and not being able to keep her from his thoughts, he could have been training. She had been an unnecessary distraction, and one that had persisted throughout his time staying with her. And yet, there was still a small part of him that couldn't help but wonder what she was doing, how she was, but he quickly squashed that thought.

Another event that plagued his mind was the day of the androids arrival, when the robotic Dr. Gero had seen Bulma's plane arriving, and swiftly blown it up to cover his own escape. Vegeta had failed to even try and save them, his thoughts solely on the enemy. Of course, he was thankful that she and the child had been saved by the boy that sat on the rocks below him, not that he would ever admit it. But he continued to think about what would have happened if they had not been so lucky.

If the woman had died, than he would no longer have the distraction that was her blue eyed and perfect face. He would be free to kill Kakarott as soon as he was well again, and feel no remorse afterwards. Then he would be able to destroy the Earth, without anything hindering his thought, and no connection to the pathetic planet. But if the woman had died, would he truly have been able to cope with the loss, or would it merely have been a small blip on his radar?

His thoughts were interrupted as he sensed the boy approaching once more, and although he was annoyed by this, he was thankful that his mind had stopped going to places he had tried his best to prevent. "Father." the boy exclaimed, but Vegeta did not turn to face him. He had mixed feelings about the boy referring to him as such, but for the moment he just simply did not have the energy to care. "Father," the boy repeated, before continuing, "I wish to train with you. Surely having a sparring partner will do us both some good, rather than bad. We're missing out on valuable training time here."

Vegeta grunted. "I don't know what you're doing boy, but I am currently in training. And I do not wish to be disturbed. If you want to find someone to train with so greatly, I'm sure you can pester one of Kakarott's bunch to help you out." he replied simply, crossing his arms. "Now leave me, and do not annoy me again if you value your life."

He could hear the boy's sigh of defeat before he flew away, but only back to his seat on the large rocks below, much to Vegeta's annoyance. Surely he wasn't stupid, and Vegeta's threat against his life had not been an empty one. Sure, the boy was the future incarnation of his son, but even that would not hinder Vegeta's thoughts if he were to get very angry. He would be able to kill just about anyone if they infuriated him enough.

Which was why Kakarott was the first on his list to die.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

_**Author's Note; **__This chapter is dedicated to Unlisshed for reviewing nearly every chapter. Your reviews always make me super-proud, so thank you very much and please, keep them coming!_

_If anyone has any questions about me or the story that they'd like me to answer, then please, ask away, and I will reply to you with the next chapter. :)_

* * *

_Bulma clutched her chest in fear, her other hand gripping on tightly to the young Trunks who was cradled in her arms as she stared at the television screen. Things had gone from bad to worse, with the monster Cell announcing to the world that he was holding a martial arts tournament in an obvious bid to fight the earth's strongest warriors one by one. She was distracted from her thoughts as she saw Vegeta move from the corner of her eye._

"_What are you doing Vegeta?"_

_After pulling the yellow sweater over his head, the Saiyan prince turned, his face determined as he looked at the aqua-haired woman._

"_Hear me out. I don't care about the people of Earth, but I promise I will destroy Cell."_

"_I'll go with you."_

_The older incarnation of Trunks ran past her after his father, who turned around to give him a look of pure annoyance. Bulma felt her son's pain, she could see plainly that the boy only wanted to spend time with Vegeta, and receive his praise, but unfortunately that wasn't bound to happen soon. She held up a hand to the lavender-haired warrior._

"_Wait – let me cut your hair before you go. It might get in the way."_

_Trunks turned to face his mother, a warm and gracious smile on his face._

"_Thank you."_

+-+

Bulma set the baby Trunks down in the crib that occupied his room, she could tell he was tired, he had been close to nodding off to sleep in her arms earlier. She turned to the older Trunks, indicating for him to follow her into the bathroom, where she pulled up a stool and motioned for him to sit down, as she opened up one of the drawers and retrieved a pair of scissors and a comb.

As she pulled Trunks' lavender hair out of it's band, letting it flow loosely on his shoulders, she couldn't help but smile at him in the mirror. "So, I'm guessing this must be weird for you." she spoke, combing his hair gently. Trunks looked at her in the mirror, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" "Well, I'm your mother, and yet I'm not. Surely that's got to be confusing."

Trunks gave a soft chuckle. "I have to admit that it is a little strange, but it's also very comforting. I'm in a different time, but at least I have someone that I know. Well, sort of. It's nice to have a little bit of home here." he explained, and Bulma patted his shoulder affectionately. "It is nice." she agreed. "And it's also very good to see what a handsome young man that my son will become. I'd spent so much time worrying that he - uh, you - would turn out like Vegeta."

Trunks frowned, and Bulma mentally slapped herself. Of course Trunks must have held him in high regard, but that mostly because he didn't know him as well as she did. He was unaware of the emotional turmoil his father had caused her in the past two years, the way he had constantly ignored his younger self, and abandoned them both when they needed him the most.

"Are you alright with me calling you Mom?" Trunks asked Bulma, looking down at his hands. She simply smiled at him in the mirror, a warm flush creeping onto her cheeks. Trunks was not quite old enough to speak proper words yet, and so she hadn't been referred to as 'Mom' yet. It was nice when the older Trunks called her that, she liked it more than she could say. "Of course. After all, I am your mother." she replied, giving him a wink that caused him to blush before he returned her grin.

Silence fell between the two as Bulma finished combing through Trunks' hair, figuring out at what to length to cut it. "Can I ask you something?" Trunks spoke up, watching his mother intently in the mirror as she began cutting the ends of his hair. "Of course." she replied absent-mindedly, obviously focusing on the task before her. "Do you love my father?"

The scissors slipped out of Bulma's hand and fell to the ground, clanging on the tiled floor. She looked at her son in the mirror, his blue eyes looking into her own. She could see so much of herself in his features, and yet also much of Vegeta. Her eyes fell to the floor, focusing on the dropped scissors that lay before her feet. "Yes." she admitted, amazed by her own answer.

She knew that she had feelings for Vegeta, they were present every time that she looked at him, persistent and strong. But it had been his absence that had alerted Bulma to her true feelings, without Vegeta she didn't feel like herself. She missed the verbal spars, the way he smirked when she yelled at him, the look of loneliness that crossed his face when he thought he was alone. Despite everything he had put her through, there was still a part of him that seemed to lay dormant, a part that could actually have feelings and emotions. She was sure of it.

Trunks smiled at her, and she returned a half-hearted one in return, before bending over to pick of the scissors and continue the hair-cut. "Is that it?" she asked him, snipping away as lavender strands floated to the floor. "Yes. Thank you." he replied, bowing his head down slightly.

Outside of the bathroom, Vegeta leaned against the wall, frozen in shock. He had heard the conversation between mother and son, surprised by what had been said, especially her answer to the boy's question. Love was not an emotion he knew much about, it was a legend on his home-planet, and almost unheard of.

But the woman loved him, he had heard her admit this truth, and it made him question his own feelings for her, no matter how hard he had tried to expel them. When he saw her, they were always there, nagging at his mind and poisoning his thoughts. When he was away, as hard as he tried to focus upon other things, his mind would always trail off to the female, the perfume of her scent, the glint that accompanied her bright blue eyes.

The year he had spent with Trunks in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had been harder than he had thought possible, being trapped with a constant reminder of the woman in the form of his adult son. Every time Trunks looked at his father, Vegeta could see her eyes staring back at him, and it was harder and harder to concentrate on his training. He had distanced himself from Trunks in a bid to get his focus under control, and it had worked to an extent.

But now was not the time to question such things, or even think about them. Vegeta had to concentrate on Cell, and the training that was necessary to defeat him. Once that had been done, he would be able to figure out things with a clear mind.

He walked into the bathroom, turning up his nose at the two pairs of blue eyes that turned in his direction. "Father?" Trunks spoke, ruffling a hand through his hair as loose lavender strands fell out to the floor. "Hurry up. I cannot afford to lose time waiting for you to get your hair cut." Vegeta replied, trying not to look at the woman and stay detached from them both as much as possible.

Bulma gave the scissors one more snip, cutting off one last lock before analysing her work, running her hands through Trunks' hair to get the stray hairs out. "All done." she announced brightly, trying to ignore the fact that Vegeta was in the room. Trunks immediately stood up, inspecting himself in the mirror before turning towards his mother. "Thanks, Mom." he gave her a quick hug before dashing out of the room towards the guest room, leaving Vegeta and Bulma together.

As Bulma went over to the bathroom cupboard and pulled out a broom, she was surprised that Vegeta had lingered. He had already changed into a new battle-suit, one she had made days earlier, knowing that with the numerous battles that he would need quite a few. As she began to sweep up the lavender hair strewn on the tiles, she couldn't help but look up at Vegeta, who was watching her with mild curiosity.

Words failed her, Bulma was unsure of what to say to him. Should she try and strike up light conversation? Vegeta wasn't one for simple talk. Perhaps he remained in the room because he wanted something, but surely if that had been the case he would have said something by now. As she swept the lavender hair into a pile in the middle of the floor, Bulma's eyes turned back to the cupboard, where she was certain the dustpan had been stored, but she could not see it.

She turned around to see if it had been left on the counter, and was surprised to see Vegeta holding it out to her with one hand, a blank look on his face. "Thank you." she said softly, taking it from his hands, shivering slightly as her fingertips brushed the back of his white glove, wishing that his hands had instead been bare, so that she could have felt his warm, rough skin instead. Vegeta still said nothing, but continued to watch as she swept up the pile of hair into the dustpan and then proceeded to empty it into the bin, before putting it and the broom away in the cupboard.

Before she could turn around, she suddenly felt a warm presence close to her back, a familiar scent clouding her thoughts as she tried to control her emotions. Bulma wished she knew what was going on inside Vegeta's mind, one minute he was saying such hurtful things to her, and the next he was acting oddly and watching her intently. And now he stood behind her, so close and yet they were not touching. Bulma was too scared to even breathe, in fear that it could ruin the moment.

Her heart began to beat rapidly, and she tried to fight the growing urge to turn around and throw herself at him. Time seemed to slow down, and Vegeta had not moved nor said anything, but she could feel his hot breath on the nape of her neck, it was steady and deep. How long did he intend to keep standing behind her for? Was he planning on doing something else to her? Bulma had so many questions running through her mind, and yet she knew that she would not be able to ask him any of them.

Suddenly the warmth disappeared, and Vegeta left the room swiftly. Bulma's knees collapsed from under her and she fell to the floor, her breathing becoming ragged and hard. What on earth had just happened? Tears brimmed her eyes but Bulma wiped them away quickly, unsure how she was even feeling at the moment. As she slowly stood back at up, Trunks appeared in the doorway, wearing his own battle suit, a beaming smile on his face that faltered slightly as he looked at his mother.

"Mom, are... are you alright?" he asked her, holding out a hand as his brows furrowed with worry. Bulma waved him off. "I'm fine, just a little tired, I guess." she lied, before regaining her composure and smiling at her son. "Trunks, you look so handsome." she commented, and his cheeks instantly went red. "Thanks." he murmured in reply, before his face turned serious. "I guess Father wants us to leave now."

Bulma sighed. Vegeta was going to be leaving once again, off somewhere for Kami-knew how long. Although she would never admit it, she missed his presence, and seeing him today had been bitter-sweet. "Alright, well I guess I should see you guys off." she replied, leading her son to the outside of the house, where she was not surprised to find Vegeta waiting.

"Took you long enough." Vegeta commented, but Trunks and Bulma both ignored him, and instead turned to each other in a warm embrace. "You take care now, and get a lot stronger!" Bulma exclaimed, pinching his cheek with a big grin. "I promise I will." Trunks replied, a determined look crossing his face. He went to stand beside his father, and they both prepared to blast off into the sky.

"Wait, Vegeta!" Bulma called out, and as Trunks flew up into the clouds, to her surprise Vegeta stopped and turned around to look at her. "What?" he grunted, obviously looking annoyed. Bulma moved closer to him, but still managed to keep a safe distance. "Just... be safe, okay?" she said softly, and for a moment she swore she could see Vegeta's face soften. He away from her, and nodded slightly before taking off after Trunks, disappearing amongst the clouds.

Bulma stared after him, bewildered by what she had just witnessed.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It was the morning of the dreaded Cell Games, and possibly the last day of Earth. Bulma leaned back into the sofa, trying to push away the constant worried thoughts that were running through her head. It had been days since she had seen the older Trunks and his father, and she had almost debating flying up to Kami's Lookout just to check that they were both okay, and possibly see them for the last time.

Bulma knew that her friends were strong, she had seen them all do some amazing things over the years. But from what she had gathered, the monster Cell was practically unbeatable, and much stronger than any foe they had faced before. It seemed that Goku was their last hope, having finally recovered from his heart disease and being able to train at his full capacity.

Standing up, Bulma made her way upstairs, quickly peeking into her son's room that was illuminated dimly by the sunlight that filtered through the blinds covering his window. Walking quietly up to the crib, Bulma looked down at the sleeping Trunks with love, softly running a hand through his silky lavender hair before leaning over and giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead, glad that he did not stir from her touch.

Bulma left Trunks' room and entered her own, shutting the door behind her and sighing. It was the worst time to be alone, when the day ahead was possibly the end of the world. She desperately wished to have someone with her, to wrap strong arms around her petite frame and tell her that everything was going to be alright. But there was only one person that Bulma wanted, and he didn't seem to have any affection for her in return, and if there was any it was certainly limited.

Her mind returned to a few days previous, when both she and Vegeta had been in the bathroom, left to themselves. Bulma could still remember the warmth from Vegeta's body on her back as he stood behind her, unmoving and silent as always. What on earth had caused him to act in such a way? Bulma knew that if she tried to figure out anything that Vegeta did, she'd just end up with a very painful headache.

Silently, Bulma pulled off the large oversized night-shirt she had been sleeping in, leaving her in nothing but an old pair of undergarments that she only wore when she was having an off-day. She sauntered over to the wardrobe and picked out a pair of old jeans and a maroon top, slipping it on over her head before pulling on the jeans. At least she felt comfortable, she knew that the day would be a restless one for her. The night had been even worse, Bulma had not been able to have one wink of sleep.

Bulma walked over to her large bed and settled back down into it, cursing her hungry stomach for dragging her out of it earlier. Even though she was fully dressed, it wouldn't hurt to get at least an hour sleep to prepare her for the day. It was a slightly cool morning, and her bed was beginning to get nice and warm. She lifted out one hand from the covers and grabbed the remote from her bedside table, pressing a button that closed all her blinds simultaneously, rendering the room in darkness. But even as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself, Bulma was still too restless to go to sleep.

Suddenly she heard a shuffling noise, her eyes opening wide as she tried to locate the source of it. The noise occurred again, this time coming from her balcony. Slowly and silently, Bulma manoeuvred herself from out of her bed, finding the baseball bat by the bedside table that Yamcha had given her years ago. She stalked towards the sliding doors opposite her bed, her heart beginning to beat faster and fear seeped in.

Quickly, she pulled open the blinds and thrust open the door, jumping out onto the balcony and holding the bat over her head. "Don't move, intruder, or you'll receive a nasty blow to the head!"

The figure paused, before turning around, revealing his face in the morning's sunlight. Bulma gasped, the bat dropping out of her hands and to the tiles with a loud thud. "Vegeta?" Bulma whispered, unable to believe her own eyes at Vegeta moved closer to her, obviously unhappy that he had been caught. He crossed his arms before her, and she followed suite. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Vegeta took in a deep breath. He honestly had no idea what had possessed him to fly all the way to the woman's residence, although he heard a small voice in the back of his head blaming his son's constant presence that had driven Vegeta to get as far away from him as possible. He had left early to make his way to where the Cell games were being held, too impatient to wait for Kakarott, when suddenly the city had come into his view, the large yellow dome almost beckoning him.

He had glanced in the window briefly at his son, before making his way onto the female's balcony, peering through the glass in time to see her undress, and reveal undergarments that were nowhere near as nice in others that he had seen her adorn previously. And yet, she still held some power over him, it had taken everything in Vegeta not to smash through the window and have her.

Then he saw her face, and all sexual thoughts thankfully left his mind. She looked sad, worried, and there was a hint of emotion that Vegeta was well accustomed with – loneliness. That's when he had realised what the day had meant to the woman – it was possibly the last few hours on earth, and this could have been the last time that he would ever see her.

And now she stood in front of him, obviously bewildered by his presence, and still waiting for a response to her question. "Enjoying the view." he rasped in reply, turning away from her slightly to look out over the city as the sunrise filtered orange light through the many buildings, leaning over the railing. Bulma joined him, and he noticed that she moved closer, he could almost feel the heat emitting from her body.

"I see. So how is everyone? I bet they've all been training hard, preparing for today." Bulma exclaimed, trying to converse with Vegeta, and keep him with her for as long as possible. Vegeta merely shrugged, and Bulma tried her best to contain the chuckle that developed in the back of her throat. How typical of Vegeta, to be so wrapped up in himself and not even be aware of how the people around him were faring. Or care.

"Well, what about you? How has your training been? You certainly look a lot stronger." she marvelled, looking up and down at her companion. Vegeta threw her a look. "I am currently in my normal state, it is only when I power up that you can properly analyse my true strength." he mused, before stepping away from the railing and moving to the other end of the balcony away from Bulma, obviously preparing to take off.

Bulma chased after him, determined not to let him go without a word. "Wait, Vegeta!" she called out after him, and he turned around, his face stoic, almost like that of a marble statue. He said nothing, but watched as Bulma approached him, moving closer than he normally would have allowed, but he made no movement to push her away, instead basking in the warmth she was radiating from her soft, pale skin.

She looked at him, her blue eyes full of an intense worry that startled Vegeta, but he did his best not to let that show on his face. "You're going there now, aren't you? To face Cell." Vegeta gave no answer, but it was obvious that he was indeed heading there. "Come back to me." she whispered, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. Vegeta's resolve dropped, her words bringing forth many emotions he had long since buried since he had made his trip into the deep realms of space.

Silently, he took her hand off his shoulder with his own, squeezing it gently, the only sign of reassurance he could give her. With his other hand, he lifted it up to her face, stroking her soft cheek with the back of it, before dropping both hands to his side. Bulma knew what was coming, and he stepped backwards, as Vegeta's intense ki emitted from his body, and he shot up into the sky, before disappearing in a blue streak.

She lifted one hand up to feel the same cheek that Vegeta had touched, it began to tingle, a pleasant sensation. Bulma was elated that she had seen him, and that he had actually conversed with her, and then not flinched away from her closeness. It was a sign of hope, that maybe there was more there when it came to Vegeta, but there was still a small part of my mind that reminded her that it could have been the last time they saw each other, and perhaps Vegeta was just being sentimental. The best thing Bulma could do was try to push it out of her mind, and concentrate on other things.

Bulma stayed out on the balcony, watching the sky become lighter as the sun rose higher and higher into it, and a loud cry coming from the room next to hers reminded her of her duties. Moving back inside, Bulma closed the balcony door and locked it behind her, before making her way into Trunk's room, her son sitting up in the crib, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Good morning my little ray of sunshine!" Bulma cooed as she leant over to pick Trunks up, a huge beaming smile appearing on his face as he eagerly accepted his mother's arms.

Holding her son in her arms, Bulma made her way down to the kitchen, where she was not surprised to find her own mother, eating pancakes and reading the newspaper. Bunny's face broke into a smile as they entered the room, and Bulma could not help but it return it. "Good morning my darlings! And how are we today?" she asked, getting up from her chair and approaching them. Trunks clapped his hands together happily, but Bulma merely yawned.

"Hey mom, could you fix Trunks up with breakfast? I need to go and check up on Dad." Bulma asked Bunny, holding out Trunks to her. "Sure thing honey!" the blonde woman exclaimed, taking her grandson before setting him down in his high-chair, Bulma leaving the room and making her way down to her father's laboratory.

She knew that he had pulled an all-nighter, she had gone in there and regularly checked up on him throughout her sleepless night. Now as she entered the room, she was surprised to see Dr. Briefs lounging in his favourite chair, indulging in a cigarette, another being sitting down on the table before him, flexing his fingers repeatedly before realising that Bulma was in the room.

"Wow Dad, you've done a great job." Bulma marvelled as she approached her father's companion, looking over him intently. "Sixteen, how do you feel?"

The red-headed android smiled, and laid his hands to rest at his sides. "I feel much more powerful than before. I must thank the both of you for such great work." Sixteen replied, his mechanical voice in one tone. Bulma looked over on the left side of his green chest-plate, pleased to see that her father had covered up the Red Ribbon emblem with a Capsule Corporation one instead. "Nice touch." she complimented Dr. Briefs, who grinned in response.

"I am sorry but I must go now, the fighting will commence soon." Sixteen announced, moving off the table and onto the floor, standing up straight and towering over Bulma. "Alright Sixteen, but please, be careful. And kick some butt while you're at it too!" She winked at the android, and she was sure that if he had the capacity to have any proper facial movements, he would have given her a confused look. "Yes, I will try my best to defeat Cell. And kick... butt."

Bulma and her father couldn't help but let out a chuckle in unison, before they led Sixteen out of the laboratory and outside to where he could take off. "Goodbye Bulma. Goodbye Doctor Briefs." Sixteen waved as he hovered up further into the air, father and daughter returning the gesture enthusiastically. Then Sixteen streaked through the air, disappearing before their eyes at a great speed, and Bulma was instantly reminded of seeing Vegeta leave not too long before then.

Dr. Briefs turned to his daughter, a questioning look adorning his features. "So Bulma, what are your plans for the day?" he asked, obviously trying to make light conversation out of the perilous events of the day. Bulma cocked her head to the side in thought. "Well I know that some of the stations are planning to broadcast the Cell games, and so I was going to watch it. But I reckon it might be better to go to Kame House and watch it with Master Roshi, seeming as he can give me proper commentary as to what's really happening, being a martial artist and all."

The truth was, Bulma had been constantly fighting with her thoughts for the past week, trying to decide whether or not she would go with Goku and the others to the Cell Games. But a small voice of reason kept piping up, telling her that it would be much too dangerous. The best option would be to go to Master Roshi's, he would be able to tell from sensing ki who was fighting and how there were faring. And the last thing she wanted was to be alone while it all happened.

Her father merely nodded in response as they headed back inside the house. "And what about you Dad? No drastic plans for you and Mom?" Dr. Briefs merely shook his head. "I have some other inventions that I've been meaning to work on and I believe your mother is determined to fix up the gardens." Bulma shook her head slightly. Trust her parents not to be freaking out about the last day on earth.

They both entered the kitchen, smiling at it's two occupants. Dr. Briefs moved over to his wife to give her a quick kiss, and Bulma made her way to Trunks and wiped the gunk away from his mouth, which she guessed to be porridge by the look of it. Picking her son up from his chair, she made her way up to his room and placed him down on the change table, finding his day outfit and proceeding to change his diaper and clothe him too.

Once done, Trunks was in a cheerful mood, and it was infectious for Bulma. She couldn't help but beam at her son every time she looked at him, he was the single most important and wonderful thing in her life, and the joy of motherhood filled her every time her eyes landed on his chubby face. She even felt the same bond with the future Trunks, amazed at just how wonderful and amazing a man her son had turned out to be. But for now, she wanted to enjoy Trunks' youth with him, there was plenty of time for him to grow into the warrior she had become accustomed to.

Making her way back into the kitchen with her son in her arms, Bulma stood before her parents, feeling an overwhelming sense of awkwardness wash over her. What did you say to your parents when you unsure you would see them again? Bulma didn't know. She turned to her mother, who cocked her head to the side. "Take care Mom." she said softly, giving Bunny a hug with one arm.

She turned to her father next, not knowing what to say to him. Although Bulma loved both her parents, she had always shared an amazing bond with her father, spending hours in his laboratory with him in her youth, learning so many great things that she still marvelled at today. Dr. Briefs just watched her, raising one eyebrow slightly. "Be safe, Dad." Bulma finally managed to blurt out, also giving her father a one-armed hug before stepping back from them.

"Just remember, I love you both, very much." Bulma added, giving a sad wave with her free hand, Trunks waving as well, before they left the kitchen, leaving Dr. Briefs and Bunny to themselves. "Oh my, that was very odd." Bunny commented, and Dr. Briefs just sighed. His daughter was always one for drama, motherhood had not changed that one bit. But he could understand slightly where she was coming from, but did not share her overwhelming worry.

He turned to his wife, giving her another quick kiss on the cheek, which made her giggle as his thick moustache tickled her skin. "Well hun, I'm off to do some work. You enjoy your gardening!"

+-+

Meanwhile, Bulma had made her way outside to the grounds, pulling out her capsule box and picking an aircraft, pulling the capsule out and clicking it before throwing it away from her. With a puff of smoke and a loud exploding noise the aircraft appeared, Bulma opening up the hatch and setting Trunks down in the baby seat she had specially added just for him. Trunks gurgled happily, Bulma knew how much her son like to travel. Closing the hatch up Bulma ignited the engines, and within minutes they were up in the air, heading towards a small island that Bulma knew well.

As she flew, she could not help but wonder if Vegeta had arrived at the 'tournament' yet. Knowing his impatience and his incredulous speed, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had. All she could do now was hope and pray that he and the other would be okay, and that the day would not result in any fatalities. The last thing she wanted was for one of her friends to die, especially as most of them had already been brought back to life once, and would not be able to be revived again.

Quickly flipping on the mini television that had been installed into the dashboard, Bulma quickly found the channel that were airing a live broadcast of the Cell Games. She was surprised to see that someone had already turned up, and that he was no-one that she knew. Hercule Satan, the man claimed himself to be. He was busy boasting about defeating Cell single-handedly, making Bulma roll her eyes, and Trunks beside her raise an eyebrow. Her son certainly wasn't an idiot, he could tell that the man was clearly a moron.

Suddenly there were exclamations from the presenter and the camera man, and the camera panned up to a shot of the sky. Bulma tried to keep her own eyes focused on the sky before her but her gaze kept returning to the small screen as a flash of blue light appeared, getting closer and closer. Bulma grinned.

Vegeta.

The Saiyan Prince landed on the ground, arms crossed in his usual stance as he did. His face wore it's trademark scowl, and Trunks clapped happily at the sight of his father. The presenter and idiotic Hercule began to discuss how Vegeta had travelled there, obviously flying, but the so-called 'fighter' dismissed it simply as a trick of Cell's. The presenter decided to approach Vegeta, and Bulma instantly feared for the man's life.

"_**So, who are you and what are you doing here? And, if you've just come to watch, back away from the ring before you get hurt!"**_

"_**Quiet. I've had enough of your insolence. Get out of my face."**_

Bulma couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at Vegeta's remarks. Nothing had changed there. The presenter did as he was told, muttering something about Vegeta's sanity, or supposed lack of it. The camera remained at the Saiyan warrior though, and Bulma's grin faded as she noted the serious determination that was on Vegeta's features. He had come to defeat Cell, there was no doubt about that.

Her last words to Vegeta echoed in her thoughts.

"_Come back to me."_


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Bulma waved down from her aircraft, saying goodbye to Master Roshi and the old turtle, keeping a smile plastered onto her face as she did so, trying to keep back all the true emotions she was keeping inside. It seemed to be working, the old man was waving back enthusiastically, the turtle flapping a flipper high in the air. The aircraft rose higher into the sky, before heading towards home, the island disappearing from her sight below.

She took in a deep breath, determined to keep it all together at least until she returned home. Trunks sat next to her, looking out the window at the passing clouds quietly, one of his thumbs situated in his mouth. Bulma tried to keep her eyes away from him, knowing that the older incarnation of her son was currently dead, and although she knew that soon the Dragonballs would be gathered and the future Trunks would be revived, it didn't make it any less painful a loss.

Almost as if on cue, the sky around her darkened, a sign that the dragon Shenron had indeed been summoned. Bulma breathed a sigh of relief, Trunks would be fine, and she would make sure to give him a full check-over when he returned to Capsule Corporation. If he returned. She was pretty certain that he would, after all, it was kind of his home anyway. And Bulma was determined to spend as much time with Trunks as she could before he returned to his own time-line.

Looking up high into the sky, she tried to find Kami's Lookout and see the magnificent green dragon, but her human eyes could not see that far. Sighing, Bulma settled back into her seat, and thrusted the boosters, determined to get home as soon as possible. She was close to a break-down, she could feel it surfacing, and flying in an air-craft was not the best place to have such an episode.

Thankfully, Bulma came across land, and could see the city before her, a large yellow dome practically welcoming her home. She landed quickly, grabbing Trunks and pushing a small red button beside the hatch as she jumped out onto the ground, the air-craft turning back into a capsule, which she then proceeded to pick up and place in her pocket.

The sky was still dark around her, making Bulma confused. Surely they had made their wish by now? She turned back to the house, walking around it to her mother's garden. Bunny was kneeling over her many varieties of plants, whistling softly as she pulled out weeds from the dirt below them. Noticing Bulma approaching her, Bunny stood up and brushed the dirt off her hands on her jeans, before giving her daughter a big smile.

"There you are! I hope you're hungry, I made too many sandwiches for lunch today." Bunny exclaimed, patting Bulma softly on the shoulder. "I'm not feeling too well, actually. Could you maybe look after Trunks? Just for a while." The aqua-haired woman replied, holding her son out to Bunny to take. "Of course my dear, you go and rest up!" Bulma turned to enter the house, but not before her mother called out to her again.

"Is the big fight over?"

Bulma closed her eyes, determined not to let her emotions get out just yet.

"Yeah Mom. We won."

Leaving Bunny with that answer, Bulma entered the house and rushed up to her room, closing the door behind her with a loud thud. The silence echoed around her, and before she could stop them, the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks, dropping onto the floor as she collapsed onto the door behind her, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor, pulling her knees under her chin.

Goku was dead.

Bulma remembered the first time, she had witnessed his death on the battlefield after the fight with Radditz all those years ago. Goku had been barely alive when they had reached him, and had died in Krillin's arms, his trademark smile still etched in his face. But back then it had been different, and they had easily wished Goku back to life with the Dragonballs, and he had returned just in time to save the world from Nappa and Vegeta.

Then they had all believed to have lost him again, after the epic battle with Frieza on Namek. But luckily he had been alive, and had chosen to continue on his journey through space on his way home. Bulma had missed him greatly during that time, but knowing that he was still alive was comforting.

But now, Goku had gone again, and this time there was no way to bring him back.

She had been friends with him for so many years now, since that first meeting in the woods near his house. He had been so different back then, an naive and simple boy who had never seen a girl before, let alone another human besides himself and his deceased grandfather. Over the years they had grown up together, going on many adventures and learning so much.

Bulma had marvelled at Goku's rapid growth over the years, he had grown so strong that she felt like she hardly knew him anymore. And then there would be the same grin that he always gave her, and it felt like they were children again. But now she would never see that smile again, never shake her head at him, never punch him playfully in the arm if he did something silly.

Suddenly Bulma heard a loud exclamation coming from downstairs. Wiping away her tears quickly, she stood up and hurried outside her room, making her way down the stairs to see her mother holding Trunks. "Oh Bulma, there you are. That nice boy is here to see you." Bunny informed her, and before Bulma could relay her confusion, the older Trunks appeared from around the corner, his eyes widening when he saw her.

"Mom?"

"Trunks!"

Bulma practically jumped off the last few stairs as she threw her arms around Trunks' neck, pulling herself closer to him, trying her hardest not to cry into his neck. After a moment of bewilderment, Trunks' arms wrapped themselves around her waist, holding her tightly. Bulma was almost too afraid to let go of her son, but she was thankful that he was alright now, and obviously had been brought back to life.

Bunny simply stood near them and watched the interaction with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, the baby Trunks in her arms merely gurgling away as if nothing was happening. Finally Bulma pulled herself away, taking Trunks' face in her hands and analysing him over carefully as he blushed in embarrassment. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?" she demanded to know, dropping her hands and looking over the rest of him thoroughly.

There was a large hole in the middle of his chest-plate, obviously where he had been attacked by the menacing Cell. Bulma silently reached forward and laid her hand over it, feeling his heart beating through the new flesh and skin that had been repaired there. Trunks grabbed her hand, holding it in his own gently. "Mom, calm down. I'm fine, I promise." he assured her, letting go of her hand.

"Excuse me young man, but I don't understand why you keep calling my daughter 'Mom'. She's quite clearly to young to be the mother of such a studly man like yourself. And Bulma, your son Trunks is here in my arms, surely you haven't forgotten that?" Bunny piped up, watching them both carefully. Bulma sighed, she hadn't had the time to properly explain the situation fully yet to her mother, although Dr. Briefs knew about it.

"Mom, this is Trunks. But he's from the future. He's the older version of the Trunks that you have in your arms, who I have not forgotten." Bulma explained, and Bunny's smile returned to her face as she nodded. "Oh, okay then! Well, I'll let you two talk, and I think it's time for this little man to have some yummy food!" Bulma shook her head slightly as Bunny left the room. Her mother never seemed to be really be fazed by anything, but she suspected that it became the norm when your daughter was friends with aliens.

Leading Trunks over into the kitchen, she opened the fridge as he sat down behind the counter. "You must be starving." she noted, pulling out the plate of sandwiches that her mother spoken of earlier and placing it on the counter in front of her son. He simply nodded, and instantly grabbed one and began to eat it. Bulma grinned at him, before grabbing a pitcher of water and pouring it into two glasses, setting down one beside the sandwiches for Trunks and taking a sip of the other.

Trunks finished off one sandwich and also took a drink of his water. "So let me guess, you want all the details." he spoke, and Bulma cocked her head to the side. "Wow, you really do know me." she chuckled, and Trunks gave her a grin before his face turned serious. "I'm assuming that you already know about Goku."

Bulma nodded her head sadly, taking in a deep breath as she did, trying to steady her emotions. "I knew that he was...gone, and that you had been... attacked too." she informed her son, who nodded in reply before continuing. "I was wished back with everyone else that had been killed by Cell, but because Goku had already been revived once by the dragon, it couldn't happen again. Then Krillin came up with the idea of using the second wish to transport us all to Namek, and use their Dragonballs instead to wish Goku back."

Bulma's eyes lit up at the prospect of having her old friend come back. "Is that what you did?" she asked hopefully, the feeling diminishing quickly as Trunks shook his head sadly. "Goku somehow contacted us from the Other World, where you go when you die. He said that it would be better to stay dead, especially since it seems that evil beings only attack here to fight with him."

Sighing, Bulma took another sip of her water. How Goku-like, not even considering the consequences that would befall those he loved with his decision. But she couldn't help but wonder if Goku had come to the conclusion based on something similar she had said to him a long time ago, that it seemed like Goku drew bad guys to the earth, and therefore was constantly putting it in danger. She made a mental note to call the Son residence later that evening and check up on Chi-Chi and Gohan to see how they were faring with the news. "How...how did it happen?" she inquired, leaning across the counter.

Trunks cleared his throat and scratched gently at his neck, obviously trying to recollect the day's events. "Goku was the first up to fight Cell, and while it was a great battle, it became clear that Goku just wasn't powerful enough to defeat him. So he surrendered, and-" "Wait, that was Goku surrendering? I didn't think it was possible that would ever happen." Bulma interrupted her son, unbelieving of his words. After knowing Goku for more years than she could care to count, she was aware that never in his life had Goku given up on anything. But as she tried to think back to the broadcast on the television, she did remember Goku ending his fight with the android.

Trunks waited for her to finish, before continuing on. "Goku told Cell that there was someone more powerful waiting to fight, someone who could defeat him easily. And then that's when he chose Gohan to fight Cell instead." Bulma nodded, recalling her thoughts at that moment. He was only a young boy, how on earth could he be stronger than his father, Vegeta or Trunks? Sure, she knew he was powerful for his tender age, but how could Goku allow his only son to fight the most omnipotent being in the universe with the risk of being killed? It just didn't seem like something the care-free Saiyan would do. And yet she and Roshi had watched in matching expressions of horror as the young half-Saiyan flew down and opposed the enemy.

"Gohan began to fight Cell, and it was an amazing thing to watch. He was already so strong and his speed was incredible. But then Cell changed his tactic, and somehow made little versions of himself, and then they began to attack all of us." Those things had been disgusting, Bulma scrunching up her nose at the memory of the disgusting blue creatures. The camera had unfortunately not been quick enough to catch much of the action, but that had not stopped Bulma from hollering at the television in support of her friends, son and the man she unwillingly loved.

Trunks lowered his head, his tone deepening. "Then something snapped in Gohan, he just lost it, watching us all being mercilessly pummelled to the ground, to say the least. He began to channel out the most intense ki that I've ever felt, and before any of us were aware of it, he had ascended past a Super Saiyan, what Father and I had been trying to do for days now." Bulma let out a low whistle, imagining that Vegeta would not have been happy to have been shown up yet again, especially by Goku's son. She leaned closer to Trunks, her curiosity peaking. That had been the point where the broadcast had ended, Gohan's ki obviously too much for the camera to handle.

"Once ascended, Gohan proceeded to destroy all of the mini-Cells, and save us. And then he began to lay into Cell, managing a blow to his stomach that made him spit out Android Eighteen and render him back to his second stage. It was at that point that we believed him to be beaten, he had lost an immense amount of power. But then he began to swell up, in an attempt to blow himself up, and the Earth along with it. Gohan went to destroy him, but if he attempted to do any damage to Cell, it would set him off. Then Goku...Goku just turned to us, and said goodbye. Before any of us could talk him out of it, he moved over to Cell, and then used his instant transmission to move them both far away."

Bulma looked down at the counter sadly, thinking about Goku's last few moments on Earth. "We thought it was all over, that Cell had been destroyed once and for all. But then the wind picked up all around, and there was a ki that was intensely powerful, and there was a flash of brilliant light that headed straight towards my chest. And that's all I can remember." Trunks revealed, taking another sandwich from the platter and taking a bite, chewing thoughtfully.

Realising that what Trunks had just told her was the moment that he had died, Bulma patted him gently on the shoulder, and had never been more thankful that he was alive now, in front of her, and appearing to be fine, although obviously shaken up at recalling his own death. Bulma was glad that she had not had to witness it, she had already seen enough death to last her the rest of her life.

Swallowing the last bite of the sandwich, Trunks looked up at his mother, startling her with how bright his blue eyes seemed to be shining. "Yamcha told me afterwards that when Father saw me die, he completely lost it. Without even thinking of the consequences, he attacked Cell with everything that he had. Although it unfortunately didn't work, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that he defended me." Bulma gave no reply, her mouth agape as her son's words echoed through her mind.

Vegeta sure was a barrel of surprises, and it seemed that he was like that not just to her, but their son as well. One minute he was an arrogant, cold jerk who didn't seem to care about anything or anyone other than himself, and the next he showed odd, random displays of affection, no matter how distorted they seemed. Seeing him that morning had proved that point, especially as he had been so cold and distant to her previously.

"From what I understand, Cell fought back against Father, intending to kill him, but Gohan moved in and saved him, but sustained injuries that brought his ki level down quite a bit. Then Cell decided to end it all, and attacked Gohan with a massive blast. Gohan retaliated with a Kamehameha, but with only one arm it wasn't as powerful as it should have been. Cell's attack began to overpower Gohan's, and in a sheer act of desperation Tien, Piccolo, Krillin and Yamcha tried to attack Cell from behind, weaken him so Gohan could take the advantage. But no matter how hard they tried, he just kept pushing them back, knocking them down with blasts of his ki."

"Then out of nowhere Father gave his biggest attack, with all the strength he had left, and it was the shot that Gohan needed. Cell had been injured, and was distracted, and even though it was only for a second, it was all Gohan needed to defeat him. Mustering all the strength he had, Gohan let it all out in his attack, and it overpowered Cell's and inevitably destroyed him once and for all."

Bulma was rendered speechless, amazed that such things had taken place, and even more astounded by Vegeta's actions. If it had not been for the Saiyan Prince's last ditch effort, there was a good chance that none of them would be alive right now, and that the Earth would most likely have been reduced to nothing but space dust. "Wow." she whispered, and Trunks nodded his head in agreement. "I almost couldn't believe any of it when Yamcha told me, it all just sounds too crazy to be true." Bulma grinned. She knew Yamcha well, and battles were not something he would make up stories about.

"Speaking of your father, do you happen to have any idea where he is?" Bulma asked her son innocently, looking out at the kitchen window where the sky was getting rather dark, signalling nightfall. Trunks shook his head. "When I returned to life at the Lookout, Father was nowhere to be seen. He probably went off somewhere to lament." he sighed, resting his cheek on a propped up arm.

Bulma smiled sadly at him. "Unfortunately your father is not the sentimental type. But I know that he cares for you, in his own strange way, deep down. His actions today are sheer proof of that." She encouraged Trunks, but all she could think about was her increasing worry of where Vegeta had gone, and whether or not he would be returning to the compound. She had asked him to come back to her that morning, and taken the gentle squeeze oh her hand he had given her as an affirmation, but Vegeta was much too unpredictable.

"_I did not return for you, nor the child. I came back to fight the androids, defeat Kakarott, and then destroy this mudball you call a planet. I will stay here, however, until that time comes."_

The words he had uttered all those months ago came flooding back into her thoughts, and her worrying intensified. The androids had been defeated, Goku was now dead, so what did that mean for his plans? Would he stay on Earth with her, like she desperately wished? Would he destroy the planet anyway? Or would he just leave, and head off into space again, this time not planning to return?

Bulma noticed that Trunks was watching her intently, obviously trying to figure out what was going on in her mind. Blushing slightly, she tried to concentrate on other things. "So Trunks, now that your 'mission' is complete, when will you be heading home?" she asked him casually, almost fearing the answer. As well as she knew that he would have to return back to his own time-line, she secretly wished that he would stay. It was comforting having him around, he was good company and in a strange way he was the only person who seemed to understand her feelings about Vegeta.

Trunks gave a small yawn. "I'll be heading off tomorrow morning. Truth be told, I'm kind of anxious to get home, and finally defeat the androids in my time. And see you, of course." he smiled, and Bulma returned the gesture, trying desperately to ignore the sinking feeling in her heart. "Well, you've had a big day. Why don't you go and have a nice long shower and go to bed? We can talk again in the morning, before you go."

Trunks stood up, walking around the counter to wrap his arms around the younger incarnation of the mother he had left behind. "Sounds good. Thanks mom, have a good sleep. And don't worry about Father. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's not too far away." he mused, kissing Bulma softly on the forehead before making his way up the stairs and to the guest bedroom, leaving her to try and understand his words.

She certainly hoped that Vegeta was near, all she could think about was wanting to see him and be near him. Picking up the empty platter and the two now-empty glasses, she stacked them into the dishwasher, something she refrained from using often, although it had become more necessary since Vegeta had come to stay with him, using too many plates and bowls that Bulma nor her mother had the patience to wash by hand.

Bunny trotted in then, holding a sleepy baby in her arms, looking around the kitchen. "Oh, where did he go?" she asked, referring clearly to the older Trunks. "He's gone to bed. And looks like the younger Trunks has the same idea!" Bulma exclaimed, looking down at her son as she took him from her mothers arms, rocking him gently as she did so. "Well, I'm going to tuck this little one in, and then follow his example. I'm exhausted." Bulma informed Bunny, giving a loud yawn that emphasised her words.

Bunny kissed her cheek and then Trunks' forehead before heading off down the hall to the laboratories, evidently looking for Bulma's father. Bulma trudged up the stairs and headed straight for the baby Trunks' room, clicking on the light and setting him down at the change table. Trunks watched his mother with weary eyes as she went about changing him, putting on a clean diaper and then slipping him into his pyjamas. He gave no resistance, and just let Bulma go about her duties before she placed him softly down in his crib, pulling the covers over his small, chubby frame.

"Goodnight, my little Prince. Sweet dreams." Bulma cooed before kissing his soft cheek, leaning over the crib's rail as she watched him close his eyes and drift off to sleep. Once she was certain that Trunks was in a deep slumber, she quickly flicked on the nightlight, and turned off the ceiling light, and the room instantly glowed a dim blue. Bulma backed out of the room, closing the door slightly as she did so, leaving it slightly open.

Bulma made her way towards her bedroom, surprised to see a strange yellow light omitting from the ajar door. Slowly, she pushed the door open, gasping as she caught sight of the glowing figure that stood facing her glass doors that went out to her balcony, illuminating the room. Bulma walked inside and shut the door behind her quietly, trying not to startle her companion, before she walked over to him.

"Vegeta?"


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

_**Warning;** This chapter contains the most graphic sex scene I have written so far. Please read at your own risk, or simply scroll past it._

_Bulma made her way towards her bedroom, surprised to see a strange yellow light omitting from the ajar door. Slowly, she pushed the door open, gasping as she caught sight of the glowing figure that stood facing her glass doors that went out to her balcony, illuminating the room. Bulma walked inside and shut the door behind her quietly, trying not to startle her companion, before she walked over to him._

"_Vegeta?"_

He turned around at the sound of her voice, and Bulma couldn't help but gasp at the sight of his face. Never had she seen the Saiyan Prince look so... defeated. It worried her immensely, and although she was bursting with happiness that he was unharmed and had returned to her as promised, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened out on the battlefield that had transformed Vegeta into such a completely different man.

She also wondered why he was in his Super Saiyan transformation, his golden hair shining brightly as his teal eyes looked into her own blue ones. Bulma went to lift a hand up to touch his face, to check if he was real, but something held her back, and her hand dropped back to her side. "Vegeta." she repeated, not sure what to say even with the millions of questions that were beginning to appear in her mind.

Vegeta sighed, his resolve breaking. "I have returned...a...a failure." he told her simply, not wishing to dance around the issue. Everything he had worked towards, all the harsh and painful training he had endured had been for nothing, and now he only felt like a shadow of his former self, of the Vegeta who had made his way to the battlefield certain of victory.

Ever since meeting Kakarott he had been determined to surpass the lower-class Saiyan, but at every turn the imbecile managed to come out on top. No matter how hard Vegeta pushed himself or how strongly he wanted to defeat him, Kakarott would always be the victor. And now he was gone, in a self-sacrifice for the earth that Vegeta would never understand, and now he would never get his chance to challenge him.

Vegeta was so lost in his thoughts that he had not noticed as Bulma stood closer to him, lightly placing a hand on his shoulder, and she was surprised that he did not flinch away from the contact. "A failure?" she questioned him, trying to understand what had broken such a proud and stubborn man. This new side of Vegeta was beginning to scare her, and she was amazed at how vulnerable he seemed before her. Was it possible that this was the true Vegeta, hidden under a strong and arrogant shell?

"As much as I tried, I could not defeat Cell. I only managed to attack him once or twice, but hardly managed to do any damage to him. I was even beaten by the small versions of himself that he managed to create, and they were nowhere near as strong as him." His defeated eyes looked to the floor. "Kakarott sacrificed himself, and even that was not enough. And then for his son to be the victor, for that young boy to be more powerful than I could even imagine of becoming, what does that make of me?"

Bulma took two fingers to Vegeta's chin and tilted his head upwards until his eyes met hers. "You are not a failure." she told him sternly, and his eyes widened in surprise. "If it wasn't for you, none of us would be here by now. Trunks told me what you did, that you managed to give Cell the blow that allowed Gohan to get the upper hand and destroy him once and for all. I wouldn't see that as a failure."

Vegeta said nothing in reply, but stepped back from Bulma and turned back to face the doors, looking out to the lit city behind the compound walls. "You... you care for me." he spoke softly, using a tone that Bulma had never heard him use before. It wasn't a question either, more a realisation. Bulma's eyes turned from his back to the floor. "Yes." she whispered back, emotions coursing through her veins. It was the first time she had admitted the truth to him, the first time they had discussed any feelings shared between them.

"Why?"

Bulma's heart skipped a beat as her eyes turned to Vegeta's glowing back, taking in the many scars that were etched in his skin. Thoughts flashed across her mind, words and sentences forming quickly but she knew she could only tell him the truth. "I don't know." she replied honestly, glancing out the window. "But I do know that whenever I see you, my heart begins to beat uncontrollably, and I've since learnt that it isn't due to fear. When you left, I was a wreck, and not just from the pregnancy. I needed you, more than I have ever needed anyone. And that hasn't changed."

Vegeta turned around to face her, his teal eyes full of mixed emotions that Bulma tried desperately to read. "You realise that I could kill you instantly with a flick of my wrist." he rasped softly, his face menacingly looking at her, but Bulma merely shook her head at him. "But you won't." she whispered, placing a hand up to his cheek, feeling the roughness of his skin against her own. Vegeta did not pull away, but continued his gaze at her, watching her intently as she smiled sadly at him, before withdrawing her hand.

"There's more to you than you care to show, Vegeta, even if you're not fully aware of it yourself. I've seen glimpses of another side, a side of you that you continually suppress, even though I have no idea why." Bulma told Vegeta, moving closer to him, feeling his hot breath fan her face as the intense golden energy that surrounded him made her skin tingle. "I thought you were a genius." Vegeta managed to reply, clearing his throat as he also moved closer to her, their bodies almost touching. Bulma smirked at him. "That is true, but it doesn't help me figure out what's going on in that thick skull of yours."

Suddenly Vegeta moved in closer again, this time pushing Bulma up against the wall behind herself, his lips pressing harder on her own with passion and a slight hint of neediness, and it reminded her of the first time they had been intimate. Abruptly she broke off the kiss and gently pushed him away from her, and the rejection was clear on his face, mixed with hurt. Bulma sighed. She knew that it had been a mean move on her part, but there was something she wanted to clear up first before anything was going to happen between them.

"I need to know." she began, looking at him intensely, "I need to know what it is that you want from me. Because I'm not just some woman you can get your pleasure from when you desire it. If this is ever just going to be sex, than I'm sorry, but I can't do it. I'm a one-man girl, and I'm not just going to keep hanging around for you when you get horny. I need something more, and if you're not willing to give me that, then feel free to leave."

"Either you want sex, or you want me."

Vegeta made no movement, nor said anything in response. Instead he just continued to watch her, with those bright teal eyes that made Bulma feel slightly uneasy. She sighed, and her heart dropped, sobs beginning to reside in the back of her throat, tears threatening to burn in her eyes. At least it had been worth a try, a chance to let Vegeta know just where she stood with him, but it was becoming obvious that he did not see her in the same way.

She made a movement to turn away from him and leave the room, but a hand suddenly grabbed her waist, and before she could do anything Vegeta pulled her closer to him.

"I...I want you."

Bulma couldn't believe her ears as her heart began to rejoice. She looked at Vegeta, who was leaning in again to pick up from where they had left off. But Bulma stopped him once more, placing two fingers on his lips and halting his movement. "This means that we are together. In a relationship. And you can't go and find pleasure with anyone else but me." she explained, and Vegeta rolled his eyes at her. "I have enough trouble dealing with one woman, why on earth would you think I willingly handle another?"

Bulma grinned, knowing that his remark roughly translated to 'yes'. She moved her fingers from Vegeta's lips and instead replaced them with her own lips, wrapping her arms around his neck in a desperate act to pull herself closer to him. As she did so, she was suddenly aware of just how bad he wanted her at that moment, the Saiyan armour he was wearing making no effort to hide that fact. She blushed slightly, before pulling away once more and pulling up her maroon top, revealing a the old white bra that Vegeta recalled seeing earlier that day, but he made no comment that would betray this knowledge.

Following her lead, Vegeta began to undress himself in an amazing speed, in an obvious effort to get naked as quickly as possible. By the time all of his clothing was off, Bulma was just finished pulling off her jeans, to reveal the matching underwear, blushing in embarrassment as she did so. If she had known this was going to happen, she would have most definitely worn more appealing lingerie. Vegeta however did not seem to care in the slightest, as he groaned, approaching her and swiftly unclasping her bra, letting it fall to the ground before pulling off her underwear as well, Bulma allowing him to undress her, her cheeks crimson as she noted his eagerness, it was evenly matched with her own.

Now both naked, Vegeta approached Bulma again, pressing himself up against her, skin on skin. Bulma marvelled at the many new cuts and bruises that adorned his skin, before wrapping her arms around Vegeta's neck again, lifting herself up and wrapping her legs around his waist, cradling her head in the crook of his neck, kissing the skin there softly. She had been waiting so long for this, to hold him in her arms once again, to have his lips roaming her bare skin.

Vegeta moved over to the bed, placing Bulma gently down on it, where she unwrapped her legs and arms from around his torso, moving up on the bed to find the most comfortable position. Vegeta joined her seconds later, appearing on her left side before rolling on top of her, propping himself up on his elbows as not to crush her with his incredible muscled body. His lips brushed her cheek, moving down her neck and then coming to rest at her breasts, giving each erect nipple a light nip before continuing to go down her body.

Bulma felt the heat rush from her body up to her cheeks as she watched Vegeta move lower and lower, noting just how close each of his soft kisses were getting to her portal, which was gaining more moisture by the second. This intimacy was much different than before, she could see that Vegeta wanted her, and badly, and yet he was taking his time with her, and seemed determined to please her as best he could. Something had certainly changed between them, and Bulma noted that it was definitely for the better.

Suddenly the sensation of Vegeta's tongue lapping softly at her nub, and she arched her back in ecstasy, her hands reaching down to tangle in Vegeta's spikes, coaxing him as he continued to devour her womanhood, making her moan loudly and deeply, and she was instantly grateful that her room had an effective sound barrier. The last thing she needed was for either version of Trunks to become aware of her activities that night.

With another flick of his tongue, that was all it took for Bulma as she bucked hard against his face, her climax more intense than she had bargained for. Vegeta continued, but Bulma had other ideas. She pulled herself away from him, indicating with one finger that he return to her level. Smirking, Vegeta complied, moving up between her legs until their mouths met once more, and Bulma could taste herself on his lips, and was well aware of something quite hard poking into her thigh.

Vegeta made a move to finally enter her, but Bulma stopped him, and the look on Vegeta's face terrified her for an instant, he looked rather pissed off. She leant over to her bedside table, pulling open the drawer and pulling out a small square packet, closing the drawer and then handing it to Vegeta. "Put this on." she told him, as he moved off her and sat up. "What on earth have you just handed me, woman?" Vegeta demanded to know, ripping open the small packet and taking out the soft flimsy object.

"You'd better get used to those, Vegeta, if you want to continually be intimate with me. Because my birth control doesn't seem to work on it's own and I refuse to have another child right now." Bulma informed him, and Vegeta merely grunted in response, but seemed to understand what she was saying to him. Sighing, Bulma reached over and took it out of his hands, realising that he would have no idea how to put it on.

"Now watch carefully, because this is something you can do yourself from now on." she warned Vegeta, as she placed the strange object on the tip of his manhood and rolled it down, until he was completely covered by the contraption. Vegeta looked up at Bulma, the list clear in his eyes, the impatience showing on his face. "So can we continue now?" he asked her, as she laid back down on the bed, pulling him down with her. "Yes, but don't think I've forgotten about you referring to me as 'woman' again just now. If you're going to be with me, you have to call me by my name. And I know that you know it, so don't try to pretend that you don't."

Vegeta responded by resuming his previous position, this time succeeding in pushing himself gently into her, kissing her neck as he did so. "Bulma." he rasped, and the sound of him speaking her name made Bulma shiver, as her fingers ran up and down his scarred back as he proceeded to thrust, long and hard at first, before gathering speed. "Vegeta." Bulma moaned his name into his golden hair, giving him encouragement, his breathing become ragged with her own, before she let out a long moan of pleasure, signalling her climax and then triggering his own.

Panting as he came, Vegeta's thrusting slowed down, until he was completely done. Bulma lay flat on her back, trying to regain her breathing, her chest rising and falling in rhythm as Vegeta pulled himself out of her, before collapsing onto the bed next to her, and with a deep breath he detransformed, his eyes and hair returning to their natural dark colour, the room being plunged into darkness. Instantly Bulma reached over to her bedside table and flicked on the lamp, returning light to the room, before she turned to her lover, cuddling his arms and pulling herself towards him, placing one hand on his chest, feeling the intense beating of his heart.

What had just happened between them had been more overwhelming than ever before. The other times they had been intimate had just been plain, passionate sex, but that seemed to be all there was to it. Just now had been completely different, they had this time made love instead, communicating with each other on an entirely new level that was a lesson for them both. She also had a sneaking suspicion that Vegeta being in his Super Saiyan transformation had something to do with it as well, and she noted how careful he must have been not to lose his control of strength slip for even a fraction of a second.

Vegeta sat up, and Bulma removed herself from him, opting to remain laying down on the bed. Vegeta stood up off the bed and proceeded to remove the protection from his manhood, throwing in the small bin that Bulma kept beside her dresser. He then walked over to her wardrobe and grabbed out one of her bath-robes, choosing a navy blue one and throwing it over himself. Bulma sat up, beginning to get worried. "You're not leaving me now, are you?" she asked him, wondering of maybe Vegeta had done the cruellest thing she could think of and just manipulated her into having sex with him. But something told her that this could not possibly be the case.

Vegeta tied up the robe before turning to her. "I am in need of a shower." he informed her bluntly, heading towards the door and opening it, causing Bulma to yelp out in embarrassment and attempt to cover her nakedness up. He turned back to her. "Feel free to join me, if you wish." And with that Vegeta left.

Bulma practically jumped off the bed, grabbing another robe and quickly dressing herself in it. She knew an invitation when she heard one, and this seemed too good an opportunity to pass up, and it meant that she would be able to spend more time with the Saiyan Prince.

Quietly she left her bedroom, shutting the door behind her, before making her way over to the bathroom, praying silently that Vegeta had left the door unlocked. Pressing the door button, she let out a sigh of relief as the door slid open, and quickly slipped inside, closing the door again with another press of the button and locking it so that they could not be disturbed.

There was steam everywhere in the room, and as Bulma dropped the robe onto the floor, she tried to make out Vegeta's frame in the shower. As she opened the shower door, she finally caught sight of him, his dark hair now cascading wetly down his back, ending just above the round scar that she knew was once his Saiyan tail. She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso as the water torrented down on her.

Vegeta turned around to face Bulma, holding her face in his hands as he kissed her softly. Bulma revelled in this new side of Vegeta, this soft, caring, affectionate man that had been hiding for years. She was glad that she had been able to bring it out of him, it made her feelings towards him even stronger as the moments went by. She was also aware that this side of him would only ever be revealed to her, and would have to be prepared for Vegeta to resume his normal arrogance when they were in the presence of others.

But something still plagued her mind, and as Vegeta turned away from her to reach for the shampoo, she took the opportunity to let her thoughts be known. "Vegeta, does this... does this mean that you're staying?" she inquired softly, hoping that his answer would be the one she desired to hear. Vegeta turned back to face her, a look of sheer confusion on his face. "What?"

Bulma cleared her throat nervously, trying her hardest not to remember the worst night of her life, but knowing that she needed to. "The night that you returned from space, you told me what your plans were. To destroy the androids, defeat Goku and then annihilate the Earth. And since the androids are gone, and Goku is dead, what are your plans now?"

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows together, attempting to analyse her question. What she said was true, they had indeed been his plans all those months ago, but things had changed drastically in the time since.

"I have begun to find the Earth tolerable. And if I were to destroy it, I would have nowhere to go." he informed her plainly, and she just looked at him. "And you are here. As well as my son. And I have no intention of making either of you homeless." Bulma grinned at his words, knowing that he was teasing her lightly with the last sentence. "Well, I guess we could keep you around, if you promise to behave." she stuck her tongue out at him, and he merely smirked in reply before squirting the shampoo into his hair, Bulma taking the bottle from him and following his lead.

Half an hour later they emerged from the bathroom, both clad in the robes once more, and quickly dashed back to her bedroom, locking the door behind them. Bulma pulled off her robe and shivered, her damp hair was making her feel even colder with the cool night air. Vegeta took off his own robe and pulled her close to him, and suddenly she could feel an incredible warmth emitting from his body, and before she could say anything, she realised that her hair was now completely dry along with his own.

Reaching over to her dresser, she pulled out a pair of navy boxers and threw them over to Vegeta, who caught them easily in one hand. Without question, he pulled them on, pleased that they were a good fit before he moved into the bed, watching Bulma with intense interest as she quickly slipped a pair of matching pink undergarments, before covering them up with an old shirt that was quite large on her small frame.

Bulma quickly joined him in the bed, unable to believe her own luck that not only had Vegeta admitted his affection towards her and agreed to be in a relationship with her, but was now planning to sleep in the same bed as her. She quickly flicked off the lamp, rendering the room in darkness before moving up towards Vegeta and placing her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Goodnight, Vegeta."

A grunt was her reply.

_**Author's Note;** Please, please forgive this horrible chapter. Writing sex scenes make me feel so awkward. And yet my story seems to continually demand them. Stupid brain, constantly sabotaging me!! -_-_


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The next morning Bulma woke with a start, the memories of the previous day flooding into her mind. She turned to her eyes to her left, and was surprised when they met with the scarred, naked back of Vegeta. She hadn't expected him to stay with her last night, and when he did she thought that he would wake up early and go straight to the gravity chamber to resume his training.

"_I have returned...a...a failure."_

With wide eyes, Bulma recalled Vegeta's words to her the night before, and the defeat that had been displayed clearly in his dark eyes. Surely he hadn't given up fighting? Is was everything that Vegeta was, and had pretty much been his entire life serving under Frieza.

Opting to let Vegeta sleep in a little longer, Bulma slipped out from under the covers and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her as she did. Confusion slipped in as she made her way to Trunks' bedroom, she could not hear him crying for her as he usually did in the morning, it was normally her alarm clock.

She pushed open the door, but Trunks wasn't perched up on the side of the crib. Bulma stepped closer to it, bewildered as she realised her son was not in the crib at all. Had her parents taken him out? They had never done so before. Dr. Briefs was always too busy with work to be minding a baby, and Bunny was relentless in making sure that Bulma took care of most of her mothering duties.

Bulma quickly rushed down into the kitchen, finding Trunks in the kitchen, but not the form of her son that she was looking for. "Trunks." she spoke, her voice almost breathless. "Have you seen...yourself?" she asked, realising how stupid the question sounded when spoken aloud. Trunks gave her a warm smile after sipping the mug of coffee that he held in his hand. "He's in his high chair. I decided to feed him this morning, I figured you were kind of...preoccupied."

Noticing the red tinge that accompanied the older Trunks' cheeks, Bulma couldn't help but blush herself. It was only now that she realised that the guest room that Trunks had been occupying was beside the bathroom, and as thick as the walls were she hadn't exactly been able to keep quiet whilst in the shower with Vegeta the previous night.

Deciding to change the subject and erase the embarrassment from the air, Bulma glanced over to the high chair, where the young Trunks sat happily, playing with one of his toys. "Well thank you." she expressed her gratitude, pouring coffee into her favourite mug and taking a quick drink. Leaning back against the counter, she took in her older son as he watched his younger self, noticing that he was dressed once more in the same dark pants, black singlet and purple jacket that donned the Capsule Corporation logo that he had worn the first time that had met, three years ago, before she had even considered Vegeta in any sort of romantic way.

"So you're really leaving today." Bulma remarked, tilting her head slightly to the side. Trunks took the last drink of his coffee and nodded. "It's been great being here, spending time with everyone, especially with Dad." Trunks replied, setting down his empty mug on the counter. "But I really miss my mother." he added, before slapping his hand over his mouth. "I mean, my version of you. Not that you're not great, because you are, it's just-"

"I get it. She's your mother, she's the one that's been around your whole life. And while we are technically the same person, she's obviously been through all of your life experiences with you." Bulma interrupted, knowing that Trunks was getting flustered. "She's been through a lot. Losing her friends, and then Vegeta... of course it would change someone if they lost the person they loved." she added, smiling sadly. The thought of losing him now was almost unbearable to imagine.

Vegeta's dark eyes snapped open as he awoke, his surroundings unusual to him. He was not in the gravity chamber where he was prone to passing out after a harsh training session, nor was he in his own living quarters, the room that had been assigned to him by the blue-haired beauty that now filled his mind.

Bulma.

His thoughts turned to the memory of the night earlier, after he had returned from the battleground. The failure of the day streamed through his veins, and yet she still looked at him with those big blue eyes of hers, and saw him no different. The night they had spent together had been amazing, and never had Vegeta felt so content in all his life.

His eyes searched the room, but there was no sign of his lover anywhere. A quick search for her ki revealed that she was in the kitchen, along with both forms of their son. It was much easier to find her these days, it was almost as if her energy signal was intertwined with his own.

Quickly manoeuvring himself out of the bed, Vegeta stretched out all of his limbs, his muscles feeling strange, possibly because he had not trained yet. Normally he would already be in the gravity chamber, but for the moment Vegeta had seen no point to train.

"_He has beaten me completely. First, by his own actions, and then through his son's. And what has he left for me here?_

_How? How could you die like that? How Kakarott? I'll never have the chance to prove my strength against you. You died without fear, what does that make of me?_

_I am no warrior. And I will never fight again."_

His own words repeated over and over in his head. There was nothing left for him to strive against. For most of his life, it had been his goal to destroy Frieza, and when Kakarott had been the one to achieve that feat, it was his duty to then defeat him. But now the younger Saiyan was gone, having sacrificed himself for the Earth, an action Vegeta could still not comprehend.

He would save himself, and most likely Bulma and his son, but he had no regard for the other inhabitants of the Earth. They were of no relevance to him, so why would he willingly choose to die in order to save them? It baffled Vegeta completely, and he had a feeling he would never truly know the answer.

His stomach rumbled then, breaking Vegeta away from his thoughts.

"I will miss you though. It's been comforting having you around." Bulma admitted, moving over to her son and patting him softly on the arm. "I did I good job with you. And when you get back to the future, you had better tell myself that." she grinned, Trunks doing so also.

The moment between mother and son was broken as Vegeta appeared in the kitchen, his face unusually blank. While the Saiyan was never prone to have a happy grin on his face, it worried Bulma. He opened the fridge door and pulled out a variety of items, setting them on the counter. He looked at Bulma, and then proceeded to sit down at the table.

Bulma sighed. She had understood his non-verbal demand, and got busy on figuring out just what Vegeta had pulled out of the fridge and what food she could make them in to. "Need a hand?" Trunks offered from beside her, and Bulma gave him a grateful smile. "An extra pair of hands would be fantastic." she replied, realising that Trunks was attempting to spend as much time with her as he could before leaving, even if that did mean he had to help her make his father's breakfast.

Half an hour later, the table that Vegeta sat at was laden with numerous plates and bowls, Trunks and Bulma glad that the cooking was now over. But Vegeta did not start eating straight way as he normally did, instead he looked up at Bulma and Trunks. "Aren't you two going to sit?" he asked, indicating to the two chairs that sat opposite from each other.

Bulma looked at Trunks, realising that Vegeta was trying to get them to all sit down and having a family breakfast. It rendered her incredulous, even the baby Trunks had stopped playing with his toys momentarily, staring at his father with widened blue eyes.

Trunks and Bulma obliged, taking more plates out of the cupboard before taking their seats, both looking between Vegeta and then at the other, before helping themselves to the meal that lay before them. Once her plate was full, Bulma lowered her hand under the table and rested it on Vegeta's knee that was near her, her blue eyes on his face as he looked at her, his eyebrows raised slightly with mild surprise.

His hand moved to hers upon his knee, and for a moment Bulma was convinced that he was merely going to remove her hand, but instead he gave her a gentle squeeze, acknowledging the sentiment. She smiled at him warmly, overjoyed that the night had not been a dream. He was hers just as she was his now, Vegeta had said so himself.

His hand left hers, but only so he could use both hands to eat his food. Bulma unwillingly withdrew her hand from his knee, and concentrated on her own full plate in front of her. Her eyes flickered to Trunk's face across from her, he was wearing a pleased smile on his handsome face. He had noticed the moment between his parents, that something had changed between them for the better.

After breakfast, Vegeta had left Bulma and Trunks and gone up to Bulma's bedroom, unsure of why he was heading there but it seemed like the right place to go. He didn't want sex, and he didn't want to talk about his issues either, but being in her room, surrounded by her room and her intoxicating scent that hung in the air was strangely comforting to the Saiyan Prince.

He sat down on the bed, his back facing the door, contemplating the many thoughts that clouded his mind. He was so lost in himself that he did not notice the door opened behind him. "Vegeta." Bulma called gently, resting a hand gently on his bare shoulder. Vegeta snapped out of his thoughts with a start, grabbing her wrist tightly before realising what was going on and instantly letting go. "Sorry." he rasped, standing up and taking her hand in his own, making sure that his sudden movement hadn't hurt her.

With a sigh of relief, he realised that the skin was slightly red, but there would be no bruises. Bulma withdrew her hand. "I'm fine." she told him, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm not as fragile as you think I am. After all, I did manage to give birth to our son, which was in no way an easy feat." Vegeta couldn't help but smirk, it was this spunk of hers that had attracted him in the first place.

"Anyway, I brought you some clean clothes, because your battle suit is too torn to repair and it will take me a while to make a new one." she explained, pointing to the bed where different colours of folded material lay. Vegeta picked them up, content with the woman's choices, and pleased that it was nothing like the pink and yellow combination she had made him wear all those years ago.

"These will do. And there is no need for you to make me another suit, I have no use of another one." he replied, slipping on the light brown pants she had given him, doing up the belt as she stared at him, her blue eyes confused. "But surely you will? You can't just go off and fight in normal clothes or your training pants-"

Bulma was cut off by the sound of a crying baby, and sighed. "I'd better go and let him out." she said softly, taking one last look at Vegeta before leaving the room. He was grateful, he didn't want to talk to her about his decision to quit fighting just yet. With another quick gesture he slipped on the long-sleeved aqua shirt, a colour that he had to admit to liking.

"Father? Could I have a word?"

Vegeta stood up and turned around to see his older son standing in the doorway, the look of seriousness across Trunks' face similar to the one that Vegeta himself wore most days. He flattened down the shirt that he was wearing, and crossed his arms, his way of inviting Trunks to enter the room and speak.

Trunks moved closer to his father, and Vegeta could sense his nervousness. He was intrigued to know Trunks wished to speak about, but hoped that it had nothing to do with his actions the previous day. He couldn't understand them himself, and could only really remember the intense rage that burned through his body at Cell as he watched his dying son vomit blood, a large gaping hole in his chest.

Trunks sat on the edge of the bed, and closed his blue eyes monetarily before opening them and setting them upon his father's face.

"Do you love my mother?"

Vegeta's eyes widened with the question, it was incredibly personal and he couldn't understand why Trunks would be asking him such a thing. But at the same time, the answer instantly appeared in his mind, something he had been fighting so hard against for and had trouble accepting for over a year.

He gave Trunks a curt nod, and the lavender-haired man smiled.

"I just wanted to say that...my mother, the one in the future, she's spent so many years without you. She loves you, she always has and always will, but I do know that she had one regret."

Worry flashed across Vegeta's face. Regret? Did his Bulma share this same regret?

"She regrets that you never got married."

Vegeta had heard of marriage before, he knew that Kakarott and his mate had been married, but he failed to understand the significance. Bulma was his mate now, she knew that and he had made it perfectly clear last night. That was all there had been on his home planet, none of this 'marriage'. It just seemed like a great big waste of time to him, and since he and Bulma were perfectly content, there was no point in bothering about it.

"All I'm saying is, eventually Mom will want to get married. Just so it's down on paper that you're her husband. She's already copped enough from the tabloids about being an unmarried mother. Some women get restless when their long-term lover doesn't get down on one knee and propose, and they go and find someone else that will." Trunks stood up, and faced his father, a sad smile on his face.

"I know you're not one for public displays of affection, which is why I've chosen to say goodbye to you now. Properly. And thank you for defending me yesterday. It meant a lot to me." he added, thrusting out his hand towards his father. "It's been fantastic to get to know you, Dad."

Vegeta stared warily at his son's outstretched hand before taking it with his own and shaking it gently, knowing the human custom. "Just don't let your mother interfere with your training. You're strong now, those androids don't stand a chance against my son." he replied, feeling uncomfortable with the level of sentiment he was allowing himself to give Trunks, who on the otherhand was grinning from ear to ear.

Bulma wiped the tears from her eyes, scolding herself for getting too emotional, especially when Trunks hadn't even left yet. However Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, Puar, Oolong and Master Roshi had already arrived, wearing black bands on their arms in memory of the fallen Goku. Although he had only been gone for one day, the vibe of the small group was strong, they all missed him terribly. Bulma, Bunny and Dr. Briefs had been given armbands themselves, and Bulma was pleased to see her parents wearing them.

Slipping hers on over her own arm, she quickly checked her face in the mirror, making sure that no emotion betrayed her face, and walked outside where the others were saying their goodbyes, Bunny patting the older Trunks' face with one hand whilst holding the younger Trunks with her free arm. Bulma noticed Vegeta was leaning against his favourite tree away from the group, watching with his dark eyes.

He noticed her and gave her a curt nod, before his eyes returned to their son. Bulma joined the group, realising that it was her turn to say goodbye. Trunks smiled at her, and she took her hand in his, revelling it the warmth that came from it. "I'm really proud of you son." she exclaimed, giving him her best smile. "Thanks mom." he replied. "Be careful." she warned, the last mothering she would be able to give him. "Right." Trunks chuckled, squeezing her hand before going over to Gohan and Krillin.

Noticing his father in the underneath the tree, he grinned. "Dad." Vegeta simply raised a hand, his own personal salute, and Trunks returned the favour, signifying the relationship they now had between father and son.

As her son hopped into his time-machine, Bulma used all of her power not to be emotional. She hated being upset, or crying, it was something she was trying to do less of these days, especially now that things between herself and Vegeta had been resolved. As the machine rose up into the air, Trunks began to wave. "So long!" Bulma lifted her arm and waved back frantically. "Love you Trunks! Goodbye!"

Soon the machine disappeared, and Bulma dropped her arm. "What a shame he had to go." Bunny remarked, cradling the young Trunks in her arm. "You're going to be such a lovely young man!" she exclaimed, tapping him on the nose and making him giggle with delight as she and Dr. Briefs turned to go back inside the house.

Bulma turned to her guests. "You're all invited to come in and have something to eat." she told them, smiling warmly at Gohan, who grinned back but shook his head. "Nah, I'd better go back home and check up on my mom. And Grandpa said he was coming over this afternoon." Bulma nodded her head with understanding. "Well thank you for coming over this morning Gohan. And tell Chi-Chi that if she ever needs anything to call me." "Sure thing! Bye guys!" Gohan called out, running across the lawn before exploding into the sky.

"I think we should get back to Kame House." Krillin spoke up, looking at Master Roshi and Oolong. "What? But I thought we could stay for a while!" Master Roshi protested, looking at Bulma- or rather, her chest. Bulma gave him a deadly stare. "Yeah, but I have things to do. And you never know who might want to come and visit." Krillin added, and Bulma couldn't help but notice the flush of red that was appearing on his cheeks.

Realising that he was in no way going to win this argument, Master Roshi pouted. "Fine, make me miss out on all the goodies." he muttered, moving away from the group with Oolong to decapsule the plane they had arrived in. Bulma sided up to Krillin, a knowing smirk on her face. "You wouldn't happen to be waiting for a girl now, would you?" she asked him slyly, chuckling as his cheeks grew even redder.

"Well, I uh-" Krillin stammered, knowing that he'd been figured out. "Well, good for you Krillin. As long as she's nothing that air-head ex of yours, then I say you should go for it." Bulma exclaimed. Krillin let out a chuckle. "Oh, she's _nothing_ like Marron at all." he admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Once the plane was set up, Master Roshi, Oolong and Krillin boarded, Krillin piloting with the Master Roshi sitting beside him. "See you guys!" Bulma called out, waving alongside Yamcha. "Oh, and Krillin? You might want to rethink shaving your head, girls love guys with a bit of hair!" she added, winking. Master Roshi turned to Krillin, who had now turned bright red. "A girl? What girl? Is she coming to my island?" he demanded to know as the plane lifted off the ground, before zooming off towards the ocean.

Bulma turned to her last guest. "So Yamcha, would you like to come in for a bit?" she asked him, hoping that he would. It had been a while since she had seen him, and she missed their chats. "Oh, well uh-" Yamcha stopped as Vegeta walked into the house behind the unaware Bulma, flashing Yamcha the darkest look he had ever seen as a warning. "-actually I'd better not, I have so many things to catch up on now that life is back to normal. I'll speak to you later, I guess."

Without another word he shot into the sky, leaving Bulma to figure out what to do next.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

_**Author's Note; **For some reason I had forgotten that I was still a few chapters ahead. This one is a little shorter and I almost didn't update it because I had written it before I saw 'Bojack Unbound'. So for the purpose of this chapter I am not counting the movies, just the show._

_Anywho, please enjoy, and once again, sorry it took me so long to update. Remember, reviews are very much loved! :)_

Bulma awoke with a start, realising straight away that Vegeta was no longer by her side. Had he finally returned to the gravity chamber to resume his training? A smile appeared on her face. For the last week, it was almost as if Vegeta had transformed into a completely different person. It was as if he had lost all of his intense motivation, a part of him that Bulma had found herself drawn to.

She slowly manoeuvred herself out of the bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She had many plans for the day, including working on a new contraption with her father for the company. It had been a while since she had been able to really get back into her work, she had mostly been using it for the last few months as a distraction from her disastrous personal life.

But now things were back on track. Things between herself and Vegeta were going well, even if he didn't seem like himself lately. There was no impending threat to the world, and life was seemingly returning back to normal. The only thing that was really missing was Goku. Bulma thought about him daily, still amazed at his sacrifice of staying dead for the good of the Earth.

With a yawn, Bulma walked over to her closet and picked out an outfit for the day – one of her favourite dresses, yellow with orange stars splayed across it. It was a sunny, bright dress, the perfect outfit for an enjoyable day. Also collecting a pair of matching orange undergarments and her towel, Bulma left her room and made her way over to the bathroom, glancing at the spare room that had recently housed the older form of her son.

She missed the future Trunks, he was a delightful man and incredibly good company. She had certainly raised him well, even without the aid of his father. All she could do was hope that the baby Trunks would grow up to be exactly the same, although she had a feeling that having Vegeta around may change that ever so slightly.

Once in the bathroom, Bulma stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower, revelling in the warm water as it hit her body. All her tensed up muscles relaxed immediately, and cleared Bulma's mind. Now she could properly focus on the day before her without any other thoughts hindering her.

Once out of the shower and wonderfully clean, Bulma dressed herself up and returned to her bedroom. Looking in the mirror, she considered her damp blue hair momentarily, before quickly braiding into plaits on either side of her head. She wasn't sure if it made her look younger or older, but she was pleased with the result, and the hairstyle matched the dress.

She was about to leave when the phone in her room rang, which normally signalled an important call. Sitting down on the bed, Bulma prepared herself before picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Good morning, Miss Bulma. We have a call for you on the other line."_

"Should I perhaps take it in my lab?"

"_Actually, ma'am, I believe it's a personal call. A woman, named Mrs Son?"_

"Chi-Chi? Sure, put her through."

"_Hello? Bulma?"_

"Chi-Chi, this is certainly a nice surprise. What's up?"

"_Well, Gohan told me I could call you, about anything, if I needed help, and I didn't know who else to contact-"_

"Chi-Chi, take a breath and calm down. Is everything alright? Are you and Gohan okay?"

"_Gohan is fine. Studying away to make me happy. He knows that something is going on, but I don't think he knows exactly what it is. He's so clever."_

"Well, what is going on?"

"_...I'm pregnant, Bulma."_

"Pregnant? Are you positive, Chi-Chi? Is...is it Goku's?"

"_Of course it is! I'm no hussy, you know!"_

Bulma cringed, but realised that Chi-Chi was not aiming that insult at her directly. "Do you know how far along you are?"

"_Just over a week. The night before Goku left, we made love, and he insisted upon not wearing any protection. It was almost as if...as if..."_

Bulma's grip on the phone loosened momentarily and it dropped onto her lap before she picked it up quickly and pressed it to her ear once again.

"_...as if he knew he was going to die."_

"Oh Chi-Chi...I'm sure that's not it...surely the timing was just off. Just try not to stress yourself out about it too much, or it could hurt the baby."

"_I suppose you're right. I'm just scared. The first time was scary too, being my first, but I had Goku."_

"Well, if you need anything, let me know. And if you and Gohan need to be near the city for medical purposes, you can always stay with me. Kami knows my place is big enough, and you can have my full support. After all, it's only been just over a year since I was pregnant myself."

"_I might actually take you up on that. I know that if something went wrong, Gohan could fly me to the city, but I don't want to give him such a big responsibility, or worry him, especially when he was so much to catch up on with his studies."_

"Well, come on over tomorrow then. Bring your essentials, and we'll provide the rest."

"_Thank you, Bulma."_

Hearing a click on the other end of the line, Bulma hung up her own phone and sighed. She and Chi-Chi had never really had much to do with each other in the past, but she could understand the woman's situation, pregnant with a Saiyan child, without the father around for support. She just wondered how Vegeta would take the news, but first she would have to look for him.

She wandered around the house, surprised to see Vegeta laying on the couch, accompanied by baby Trunks, watching the television. Confused, she moved into the lounge room and stood in front of the flashing screen, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the Saiyan. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she demanded to know. "Attempting to watch television. Which is difficult to do when a woman is blocking it." Vegeta remarked back. "I suggest that you move."

Bulma ignored his last words. "Why aren't you in the gravity chamber? You're normally in there all the time, and yet since you got home you haven't even been near it once." Vegeta sighed and sat up. "Why should I train, when there is nothing to work for?" he replied, his dark eyes narrowing. "There is no-one to prove my strength against, now that Kakarott is gone. And his brat has no interest in fighting, and will most likely abandon his training."

Bulma moved from the television and sat down next to Vegeta, taking his rough hands in her own delicate ones, trying to figure out the best way to convince him otherwise. Before she could say anything, Trunks crawled onto her lap and gurgled up at her. "What about Trunks?"

Vegeta grunted. "What about him?" he asked, moving his dark eyes to the television. Picking up the remote from the table before them, Bulma switched it off with the click of a button, demanding Vegeta's full attention. Scowling, his gaze returned to her.

"Well, you'll want him to become a warrior, right? And now that Goku's going to have another kid..." Bulma trailed off, smirking when Vegeta's eyes flashed. "Kakarott's mate is with child?" he asked incredulously, and although Bulma knew she shouldn't be using such news to her advantage, she could tell it was working.

"Yes. And judging by Goku and Gohan's strength, even if Chi-Chi doesn't allow it to be a fighter, it will most likely be very strong." she added, pretending to look at her fingernails and appear uninterested. "Poor Trunks won't stand a chance." Vegeta stood up off the couch. "Like hell he won't. No child of mine will fall prey to scum." he raged, Bulma watching as his usual look of pride once again graced his handsome face.

"Well then, you'd better get back into it." Bulma spoke, standing up and moving closer to him. "After all, I like my men to be super strong and buff." she winked as she walked past to him and to the doorway before two warm arms wrapped themselves around her waist, and she felt herself pulled back into a warm yet firm body.

"I know what you're doing, Bulma." a breath growled in her ear, almost rendering her weak in the knees, but she kept control on her emotions. "And you have been successful." Vegeta added as Bulma spun around in his arms, blue gazing into black. "Good. Because I don't like men who give up. Which is why I fell for you in the first place." she replied, moving forward and pressing her lips against his.

She felt his hands move down her back, and immediately knew where he was heading. Pulling away from him, she grinned. "Not so fast, mister. Go and train and then get back to me. Think of it as your reward for working so hard." she teased, removing herself from his arms and disappearing down the hall.

Vegeta lingered in the hallway, a genuine smile appearing on his lips. Bulma was an amazing woman, that he knew well, but she could also be an incredible tease. He turned around to his son, who sat perched on the couch, watching his father with one raised lavender eyebrow. "Come on brat, it's time I show you what a real Saiyan does with his spare time." Vegeta said as he picked up Trunks with one arm, and carried him outside to where the gravity chamber sat on the grass, dark and silent.

Pressing the large red button on the exterior of the chamber, the door slid open and Vegeta entered, dropping Trunks gently on the ground before closing the door behind him.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

_**Author's Note;** I am back dear readers! I apologize for taking so long to update with the next chapter, I had written it quite early on in the year but before I had the chance to upload it my computer died on me. Thankfully I was able to save the hard drive and therefore all my files, and so here is long-awaited chapter for you all!_

_I realize that a lot of you may find this chapter strange and off-track to the actual story, but trust me, there is a big reason this has been written and is here. You'll just have to wait and see why. I tried my best to make it as OOC-less as possible, fingers crossed I succeeded._

_I hope most of you will continue on with my story and remember, reviews are very much loved! :) _

Bulma walked along the darkening street, pulling her large jacket tightly over herself as the chilly night air brushed across her face. She hadn't expected the meeting to run so late, and she was thankful that Trunks was spending the night at the Son's, at the insistence of Goten. Bulma was glad that Trunks had such a good friend, he found it hard to make friends with other children, mostly because of his superior strength, as well as the air of arrogance he had inherited from his father.

Bulma smirked, she knew just where Vegeta would be. In the gravity chamber, training harder than ever. It had been six years since she had convinced him to return to his fighting, and he had not once returned to his defeated state. It was a horrible memory that Bulma had of that time, Vegeta had seemed so different, as if his soul had simply disintegrated.

But he had been convinced in training Trunks, which had turned out to be lucky as Chi-Chi had decided to teach Goten martial arts. Bulma wasn't sure if it was because of Trunks' own fighting abilities, or that Goten resembled Goku so much, right down to the personality. Bulma enjoyed Goten's cheery demeanour, it reminded her of her younger days, travelling around the world with his young father in search of the Dragonballs.

These days, Bulma just felt old. She knew that she didn't look it, most people were amazed to find out her true age, but she could see the bags that were under her eyes, the lines that were beginning to etch into her face. She was grateful that her hair remained blue, and she was yet to find a grey hair, but she knew that was down to the fantastic genes she had inherited from her mother.

Her son was growing bigger every day, and stronger. Sometimes it amazed her that Trunks had once been a baby with chubby cheeks, but the many photos that adorned the halls of her home proved otherwise. One picture stood out to her the most, it was one she had insisted on taking, of the older Trunks posing with his baby self on his lap.

She would often catch Trunks looking at the picture with awe, it fascinated him that an older, different version of himself had been amongst them even before he had been born. _"Is that really me, mom?"_ he would ask Bulma when she joined him, and she could only nod. _"I sure do look strong, huh?" _

The future Trunks had visited a few times since, but always very discreetly. Being around himself had been alright when he had been a baby, but now that Trunks was seven, it was dangerous for the two to meet. Still, Bulma enjoyed the conversations they shared, and finding out what he had been up to. The last time he had visited, over a year ago, he had revealed that he met a girl, another fighter, and they were planning to get married.

"_What about you, mom? When are you going to settle down?"_

"_What do you mean? I have settled. I have your father, and I have you. What more do I need?"_

"_Do you think you'll ever get married?"_

Bulma had been rendered speechless, she hadn't known the answer to that question. Sure, she sometimes had the fantasy of walking down the aisle in a big white dress, but she was also very aware that weddings were not exactly Vegeta's sort of thing. She was pretty sure he didn't even know what a marriage meant.

She was content with how things were, and she knew that Vegeta would never stray, and that neither would she. That was enough.

So lost in her thoughts, Bulma failed to notice the pair of men that followed her, hidden under large black coats and hats that covered their faces, one short and one tall. "Are you sure that's Bulma Briefs?" the short one whispered to the other, who nodded. "Positive. Blue isn't exactly a common hair colour." the tall one muttered, and they quickened their pace, before reaching out and grabbing the startled woman, knocking her out with one blow to the back of the neck before she had the chance to scream.

Vegeta wandered around the empty halls of Capsule Corporation, feeling an unusual sensation of boredom settle in his mind. The doctor and his wife were away on a vacation, an attempt to rid themselves of daily stresses, the doctor especially. Trunks had gone to stay with Kakarott's mate, to spend time with the child that seemed to be a more annoying version of Kakarott himself, and Bulma had been summoned to speak for her father at an important meeting.

Walking into the kitchen, he felt his stomach rumble and glanced up at the clock. The sky was already dark, he wondered when Bulma would be home. She had promised to return in time for them to have a nice dinner, and some 'alone time' as she had put it. Vegeta smirked. He knew exactly what she had meant by that.

Since Trunks was much older, Vegeta and Bulma found it harder and harder to get some time to themselves, and their son had an annoying knack for barging in at the worst times and constantly forgetting to knock.

Moving closer to the window, Vegeta looked out over the city that was now lit up with millions of lights. The meeting had most likely run longer than expected, Bulma had warned him that it was quite possible and a regular occurrence. Still, something about it seemed off, and Vegeta felt himself growing worried.

Deciding that standing around waiting for Bulma to return home was a waste of valuable time, Vegeta returned to his gravity room. After managing to destroy yet another gravity chamber – unintentionally, of course – Bulma and her father had decided to build Vegeta a permanent gravity room located in the house, near Bulma's laboratory.

Closing the door behind him, Vegeta walked over to the control panel and set the gravity to 600 times that of Earth. As the room grew hotter and the air thick, all of Vegeta's thoughts and concerns set themselves in the back of his mind as he set about a series of high punches flying kicks.

"What's...what's going on?"

Bulma opened one eye groggily, trying to remember what just had happened. She'd been walking home, that she was certain of, when suddenly she'd heard loud, quick footsteps behind her and then been hit on the back of her neck, which was now throbbing as a reminder.

She went to lift one hand to rub it, before realising that she was unable to – her hands were tied behind her back tightly with thick, scratchy rope, as well as her legs as she sat on a chair. As Bulma began to panic, she looked around, trying to figure out just where she was. Her surroundings were not familiar at all, but from the large area and thick metal walls, she assumed she was being held in an abandoned warehouse.

"Hello, sleeping beauty. Nice to see that you're finally awake."

Bulma looked to her left to see two men grinning evilly at her, one rather tall and thin, the other shorter and round. "I hope you're comfortable." the tall one teased, approaching her. Bulma could see the malicious glint in his brown eyes, the yellow stains on his crooked teeth, making her shudder as he came even closer.

"What is it that you want from me? If it's money, then it's yours if you let me go." she bargained, trying to keep her voice calm. The short one scoffed. "If we let you go, then you will go straight to the police. We will be getting your money, however." he nodded to the taller one, who continued. "Shortly, we will be calling the notorious Dr. Briefs and demanding a ransom for your return, or else we will kill you."

Bulma gulped. Her parents were on vacation, but she wouldn't dare let them know that. If their plan was to go wrong in any way, there was no telling what they could do to her. "And so what happens when the money is handed over? I just go home and forget this ever happened?" she asked, fidgeting on her chair nervously.

The tall one smirked. "Oh no. Even if the money is handed over to us, we still plan to kill you."

Trunks stood up, looking around him warily. "Trunks, what's wrong?" Chi-Chi asked him, setting down her chopsticks as she looked at him with concern. Goten paid them no interest, instead concentrating on finishing the rather large bowl of egg noodles that sat before him. "Something's wrong." Trunks stated, furrowing his lavender eyebrows together.

"Is somebody in trouble?" Chi-Chi inquired, trying to figure out just what was going on. "I...I don't know." Trunks admitted, sitting back down in his seat. "I just know that something is not right, I can't explain it." he sighed, picking up a dumpling and devouring it quickly. Chi-Chi sat back in her chair, looking between her son and his friend. "Well if you need my help in anyway, you just let me know, alright?"

After dinner Goten and Trunks went to play in Goten's bedroom, noting a certain absence. "Hey, where's Gohan?" Trunks asked, looking around the room. He hadn't seen the older boy since he had arrived that afternoon, being dropped off by his mother as she made her way to an important meeting. Goten sat on the bed. "He's in mom's room, studying." he replied, looking slightly put out. "That's all he ever does now, he doesn't even play with me anymore."

Trunks raised an eyebrow. "Studying? For what?" "A test, mom said. He wants to go to a school next year, and he has to pass a test to get accepted." Goten explained, looking bored. "Schools are yucky. Why would anyone want to go when you can spend the day outside, climbing the trees and swimming and playing with all my animal friends!" he exclaimed, jumping up on the bed.

Trunks smiled, but it faltered. Goten caught this, and moved off the bed towards his best friend. "Trunks, what's wrong?" he asked, his big dark eyes curious. "Somebody's in trouble." the lavender-haired boy said softly, looking towards the open window before turning his blue eyes onto Goten.

"And I think it's my mom."

Bulma could feel the beads of sweat dropping down her face as her heart pounded on her chest. These men were planning to kill her, no matter what happened. What she wouldn't give to be able to reach Vegeta somehow, to tell him what was happening so he come and save her. She'd tried sending him mental messages for the last half an hour, screaming at him in her head.

The men approached her once more, this time with a phone in the tall man's hand. "Time to give daddy a call." he mocked, looking at a piece of paper as he dialled the number for Capsule Corporation. Bulma shut her eyes tightly, and wished with all her being that for the first time in his life, Vegeta would pick up the phone.

Back at Capsule Corporation, Vegeta stopped mid-punch, his ears picking up the sound of the phone ringing in Bulma's laboratory. All sense told him to answer it, but he decided that it was probably no-one of significant purpose, and Bulma never called, knowing he wasn't too fond of phones. He stood still for a moment as the ringing continued, then continued his training when it stopped.

"No answer."

Bulma let out a sigh, willing herself not to cry from the intense despair that filled her body. The men looked at her, obviously altering their plan. "Well, it looks like no-one is home. What now?" the short one asked the tall, who furrowed his brows together. "We go through with the alternate plan. But before we kill her, why don't we have a little fun?"

Bulma's eyes widened as the short one smiled. "That sounds good." he replied, approaching her and running one finger along her jawline. Bulma glared at him before moving her head away from his hand and then proceeding to bite it as hard as she could. "Aargh! Crazy bitch!" he exclaimed, pulling his bloodied finger out of her mouth.

Smirking, Bulma spat his blood from her mouth at him, satisfied when it landed on his shoes. The tall man however, was not impressed, and hit her across the face, knocking Bulma from the seat and making her fall onto the hard floor. "That wasn't very nice." the short man sneered, moving her back onto the chair and raising his thick eyebrows at his accomplice.

The tall one nodded in reply and produced a long white scarf, before approaching her and tying it around her head, making it an effective gag. Bulma tried to scream, but it didn't work, much to the men's satisfaction.

"Now, this will teach you to try and bite me." the tall one sneered, hitting her face again, this time from the other side. Bulma closed her eyes, trying to block out the violence that was due to occur to her, feeling the many blows to her body as she tried her hardest not to show any sign of how much it was actually hurting her.

She was losing consciousness, and from the feel of things, quite a lot of blood. All she wanted was to be saved. Or to see Vegeta one last time. And Trunks, to see his grinning face once more.

"Mom?"

Bulma opened her eyes, which was difficult as one of them had just been hit. She knew she was losing it, she had heard Trunks' voice, and now here he stood before her, his blue eyes shocked and yet furious. Was this all a dream? It was becoming increasingly hard to tell.

"Hey brat, what do you think you're doing here?" the short one shouted, and it was then that Bulma realised this was no dream, her son had actually come to her aid. His lavender brows furrowed together, and he crouched down ever so slightly, legs apart, fists clenched tightly. "What did you do to my mom?" he screamed, his hair floating around his head, and Bulma swore she could see flashes of gold throughout it.

The tall one moved closer to him, followed by the short. "It's none of your business, kid. And now that you're here, it looks like Mommy's going to have some company on her...trip." he jeered, but his words did not faze Trunks at all. Bulma on the otherhand, realised just what the men were implying. She tried to scream, but the scarf muffled it out.

Trunks let out an almighty scream, and the warehouse flashed gold, Bulma staring in awe at her son as he stood before her, his hair golden, his eyes teal.

Her seven-year old son had just become a Super Saiyan.

Realising that he was preparing to take on her two attackers single-handedly, Bulma struggled to get her hands free and protest. Suddenly a pair of hands appeared from behind her, placing themselves around her mouth. She struggled harder. "Please stop moving, Miss Bulma." a small voice spoke, and Bulma realised that it was Goten behind her.

He quickly untied the scarf, and then proceeded to untie her hands and feet. Overwhelmed with emotion, Bulma fell to her knees and hugged the young boy, who was bewildered. "You're a good boy, Goten." she whispered, finding talking hard to do with the damage down to her mouth and jaw. Goten blushed and looked at the ground, before the pair turned their eyes to Trunks.

He was advancing upon the attackers, the determined look on his face disturbing Bulma greatly. Never had she wanted to see her son like that, especially when he was so young. Goten rushed towards him, his own ebony hair turning gold too. Bulma stood up shakily, holding out a hand.

"Please, stop, they're only children!" she pleaded to the men, who were aiming guns at the two Super Saiyans, but they simply ignored her and fired. Bulma watched in horror as the bullets began to fly towards her son and his friend, but they caught each bullet with ease, before dropping them on the hard floor.

"That was a big mistake, mister." Trunks frowned, looking between the two men as their mouths gaped open. It was then that Bulma realised the true extent of the impending fight, and that there men were no match for the boys. "Trunks, you are not a murderer!" she cried out, as Trunks held a ball of energy in his hand. He looked at her, and for a moment Bulma thought that all hope was lost, until he powered down into his natural state, Goten following.

Bulma breathed a sigh of relief, standing up once again, not realising how weak her legs were. She wobbled and then fell to her left, and closed her eyes from impact, but it never came. Instead, strong hands caught her, and she turned her face up to see the identity of her saviour.

"Vegeta."


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

_**Author's Note; **My sincerest apologies to all my readers for not updating this story sooner. Unfortunately life decided to give me a giant kick up the ass which kept me away from writing for quite sometime, but finally here is the chapter you've been wanting and asking for. I know it seems a little off to the side, but this small arc of the story does serve a purpose, which will be revealed later down the track. Hopefully it will make you go "Oh, so THAT'S why that stuff happened, I get it now!"_

_...hopefully._

_I apologize for it not being one of my best chapters, I had sever writer's block with it and kept starting and stopping on ideas, having to pick it back up again and not remembering what direction I was trying to head in. As long as the main message gets through I'll be happy. Just please don't abandon the story if you dislike the chapter, the next one will be much better and all will be back to normal._

_On another note, due to not having permanent access to le internet, I can't predict when the next chapter will be out. I wish I could tell you a date, or even be able to pump them out weekly, but unfortunately I'm just not able to. All I ask is that you stick with me. The story will be finished (eventually) and we have a long way to go. This baby is going all the way through the Buu saga, so expect many chapters in the (hopefully) near future. _

_Anways, please enjoy, and remember, reviews are very much loved, and are incredibly helpful when I'm lacking motivation, so please, keep 'em coming! :)_

His dark eyes widened in horror as they scanned her face, before his eyebrows narrowed. Without a word, he stood Bulma up, and strode over to where Trunks, Goten and the two men were staring at each other, unaware of his presence until Trunks saw his father. "Dad!" he exclaimed happily, his face losing all harshness before he saw Vegeta's expression.

"Trunks. Take your mother home." he rasped, Trunks' eyes widening as he simply nodded and ran towards his mother, Goten following. Vegeta took in the two men, they were nothing, purely insignificant. "And just who the hell are you?" the tall man asked in an attempt to sound tough, but Vegeta could hear the underlying fear in his voice. "I am your worst nightmare." Vegeta replied, giving him the evillest grin he could muster.

The two men backed away slightly, Vegeta's sheer presence had enough effect. As Trunks and Goten rushed towards Bulma, all she could do was focus on the man she loved, while trying to maintain her consciousness. She had become aware that Vegeta had somehow ripped off the entire roof, leaving the area exposed and mostly in the dark, save for the pale light of the full moon illuminating the scene before her dimly. "Mom, we have to take you home now." Trunks repeated his father's order, but Bulma shook her head. "I'll be fine. You two head back to the Son home." "But, Mom-"

Bulma's eyes left Vegeta momentarily to look at her son, who's eyes widened slightly and she could see the hurt in the blue orbs that were the same as her own. She knew he was concerned, and possibly even slightly traumatised to see his mother in such a state, but she couldn't leave Vegeta. There was something...off about him, something not right. She could understand his rage at what the men had done to her, and what they had planned to do to her, but Vegeta was usually level-headed, and could keep his emotions at bay.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, wincing at the pain from her ribs that accompanied it. "Someone has to stay here and make sure your father stays in line." she spoke, reopening her eyes and managing a small smile at Trunks. The worry did not leave his young face, but he nodded as a sign of understanding. He looked over to Goten, who was wide-eyed and clearly bewildered by everythig that had transpired. "Lets go, your Mom is probably wondering where we disappeared to."

"Okay." Goten replied, before turning to Bulma. "I hope you get better soon Miss Bulma." he told her, unaware of what exactly to say. "Thank you Goten. Make sure to tell your Mom that you and Trunks helped me, and that you both deserve treats." she grinned, mustering all the effort to keep it for as long as possible. Goten returned it with a toothy smile. "I will!" he exclaimed, and then looking at Trunks, the two blasted off into the sky, Bulma's smile fading as they did from her sight, and she returned her eyes to Vegeta.

"What's your deal, man?" the taller man inquired, stepping forward slightly, clearly the braver of the two. Vegeta simply continued to glare at him, the smirk gone from his face, only to be replaced with a displeased frown on his lips. "You tampered with my property." he replied, his voice steady and yet dripping with acid. "Your property? We were just having some fun with the Briefs bitch." The smaller one piped up, daring to glance in Bulma's direction and giving her a grin.

Before Bulma could speak in retaliation, a burst of bright yellow light shone through the room, moving at such an intense speed that the human occupants could not follow it, before it landed in front of the where the shorter had been standing. He was now a good few feet off the ground, a clenched hand around his neck, belonging to the man with the golden spikes and steely teal eyes.

The tall accomplice turned around when he noticed that his friend was now in danger, his eyes wide. It was clear that not only could he not comprehend how Vegeta had moved from one place to another in such a short time without being seen, but also how he had managed to get a dye job, put in contacts and somehow begin to glow. "That the f-" he began to say, only to be cut off when Vegeta threw the shorter man at him, the two going flying into a wall before slamming onto the ground.

"I am the Prince of all Saiyans, and you have crossed me. Now is the time for you to pay for your crimes against me, which is your death." Vegeta spoke once more, as he began to approach the crumpled bodies that were struggling to get to their feet. Seeing Bulma in such a state, knowing that these men had inflicted pain upon her and enjoyed it, it infuriated him.

And yet, at the same time, it stirred something within him which had been buried for quite some time.

Bulma's eyes widened as Vegeta moved towards her attackers, she knew full well that he intended to kill them, and painfully. And despite what they had done to her, she knew that killing them was not the right thing to do. "Vegeta, please. Don't." she called out to him with as much effort as she could muster. He stopped mid-stride, and turned to face her. "They need to pay for what they have done to you." he replied, confusing setting into his features.

"But that's not who you are anymore."

Suprise crossed Vegeta's face, and Bulma sighed. "Once upon a time you would have killed anything that happened to look at you the wrong way. But you've come a long way, now you know that it's only right that you can defeat enemies in actual battle. These two are just pitfull humans, they pose no threat. They will face punishment, but in the form of jail sentences, not by your hands." she explained her reasoning, as her surroundings became fuzzy and the room began to move.

Vegeta ran over to Bulma as she passed out, and he detransformed, raising a hand to her neck. A pulse was still there, but it was growing faint. The two men had managed to inflict quite a lot of damage to her, and as he inspected her many wounds and bruises he could feel his anger coursing through his veins. His hands ached to bring the men to true justice, for him to make them suffer ten times that of what Bulma had endured, but her previous words echoed through his thoughts and he fought his urges.

Bulma opened her eyes slowly, wincing at the blinding light that penetrated them. It was much to bright, and her surroundings were all stark white and only intensified the light. She kept her eyes closed momentarily, working herself up to trying to open them again, whilst taking in what her other senses told her. The pain in various parts of her body had lessened considerably, and she could feel some kind of covering over one arm, most likely a bandage. The smells that surrounded her were vaguely familiar, she recognised the various chemicals and realised she was in hospital.

Her eyes opened once more, this time remaining so as she grew accustomed to the light. How on earth had she managed to end up in hospital? The last thing she remembered was being in the warehouse, struggling to remain conscious whilst pleading with Vegeta to spare the lives of the men who had attacked her.

Seeing him in such a state, so enraged and yet so eerily calm about it, it reminded her of the first time he had come to Earth. She hadn't met him face to face then, no, that encounter had happened later on the planet Namek, but she had seen the broadcast on tv, remembering how the man had exuded pure evilness, even through a television screen. Killing his own comrade, it had been clear that he had no morals, no affection for others, no qualms about taking lives.

But these days, he was a different man. Not entirely, he was still stubborn as all hell, demanding and arrogant, but he could no longer able to be classified as 'evil'. The only ones he killed where his opponents in battle, where defeat was needed in order to save the world. There hadn't been any battles recently, nothing had transpired since Gohan had defeated Cell. The Earth had remained safe from intergalactic aliens or robotic superbeings wanted to destroy everything and everyone, it had been a good run of peace after so many years of big battles seemingly one after another.

Perhaps Vegeta had just been itching for a fight but had just chosen his opponents rather poorly. All he ever got to fight these days was his own son, who was strong for his age but nothing compared to his father. The only person alive who could truly oppose Vegeta was Gohan, who had seemingly given up fighting and chosen to dive into his studies instead, much to the delight of his mother.

Bulma's thoughts were interrupted by the door to her room opening to reveal Vegeta himself. As his dark eyes moved over to where Bulma's form lay and he realised she was awake, relief set into his features. "I was worried that you would continue to slumber." he spoke as he approached her, and she reached out with her non-bandaged arm to grab his hand, revelling in the searing heat that she felt. "I'm your woman, so of course I'm tough." Bulma joked, giving a small laugh.

Vegeta smirked slightly, and Bulma could see that there was something else on his mind. "Vegeta? Whats wrong?" she inquired, looking up at him from the bed. Seeing him so perplexed reminded her of the night of the Cell Games, when he had come to her a broken man. "Your words earlier. You told me that I am not who I once was. I wish for you to explain your reasoning for coming to such a conclusion." He looked down at her, and she could see the confusion in his dark orbs.

"You're a changed man, Vegeta. I mean, not drastically in the personality deparment, you're still an arrogant ass and you drive me crazy most of the time." Bulma's words were met with a grunt, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth before she continued. "When you first came to Earth, you were ruthless, a cold-blooded killer. You destroyed whole civilisations just because they upset you in the most minor of ways. Yet now, you've grown, you have a family, you have experienced all kinds of new feelings that you never had experienced before and you understand the value of life. Back then I don't think you could even comprehend it."

Vegeta remained silent as Bulma spoke on. "Seeing you tonight, it made me so scared that you had reverted back to your old ways. You're a better man now." she mused, giving him a smile. He simply nodded, his eyes studying her hand which was resting upon his. "I told Trunks I would inform him of your wellbeing. I will return shortly." he announced, his eyes retuning to hers. "I'll be here. Don't think I'd be able to go anywhere even if I tried." Bulma replied.

Vegeta simply turned and opened up the door that led to a balcony, one of the upsides of having private health insurance. He jumped up onto the railing before propelling himself into the sky, heading in no particular direction. He had lied to Bulma about Trunks, but he needed to get away, have some time to himself to gather his thoughts. He had always revelled in solace.

Without realizing it, he soon came across the area where he had first come to Earth, where he had killed his own comrade and fought Kakarott. That battle continuously hunted him, the failure of being defeated, only to be spared at Kakarott's insistence and then return to his master as a failure, weak and battered.

The bastard was dead and yet he still managed to plague Vegeta's life.

All Vegeta wanted was to challenge him once more, a true and proper fight. To match his skill to Kakarott's. And yet somewhere in the back of his mind, was the constant reminder that no matter how strong Vegeta became, what levels of power he achieved, he could not match that of the lower-class Saiyan. When Vegeta would overcome a barrier, Kakarott would one step ahead. It constantly drove him mad, and yet it was his driving force, the motivation to grow stronger. And now that he was gone, what was Vegeta to strive for?

The Saiyan Prince had come to the conclusion that having a family would aid his quest to become a stronger warrior. There was no other explanation for Kakarott's ability to surpass the power of the Saiyan Prince. But as Bulma's words swirled through his mind, he could not help but think that perhaps his family had had an adverse effect on him.

He was once a true warrior, feared by many. These days he felt common. No-one cowered in his presence, no-one trembled as he walked past. The night's events had reminded him of how truly wonderful it was to wield such power over others, to be the one in control of whether they were to live or die. The only reason he had halted in his plans was at the insistence of Bulma.

His feelings for her had made him weak. Over time they had eroded his true power.

Vegeta gritted his teeth. He loved Bulma, though the words had never escaped his lips, and yet at that moment he loathed her. What she had done to him, with her smiles and her delicate words. How could one person change him so drastically? How had he not been aware of this until now?

He looked down at the ground, before closing his eyes and remembering the blood that had been shed that day so many years ago. There was no going back now, despite his desires to return to his former glory. Despite everything, he still did not want to harm Bulma in any way. He would simply have to keep such thoughts at the back of his mind, where there would be left undisturbed.

Taking a moment of silence to clear his head, he then blasted back into the sky, heading back to Bulma.


End file.
